Britain's foreign secretary is telling a German audience that securing an orderly British departure from the European Union is "of paramount importance."

Jeremy Hunt was meeting officials in Berlin on Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's trip to Brussels later in the day to meet EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. May is seeking changes to the already-negotiated withdrawal agreement after British lawmakers rejected it — but the EU says it won't be reopened.

Hunt said in a speech to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank linked to Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, that failing to secure a ratified agreement "would be deeply damaging, economically and politically."

He said that "in the vital weeks ahead, standing back and hoping that Brexit solves itself will not be enough."