French President Emmanuel Macron, right, with Irish Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron | Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Emmanuel Macron: EU cannot be ‘hostage’ of British political crisis French president says the UK is ‘on a path to an exit without a deal.’

The EU "cannot be the hostage of a political crisis in the U.K.," Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday.

The French president was speaking to reporters in Paris after meeting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to discuss Brexit and other EU issues.

Varadkar echoed Macron's sentiment, saying "the EU should not be consumed by Brexit," and both leaders said the European priority should be protecting the functioning of the EU and the common market.

Following the rejection by the House of Commons of four Brexit options on Monday night, as well as three substantial defeats for the Brexit deal thrashed out between London and Brussels, Macron repeated the warning he gave ahead of a European Council summit two weeks ago, that the U.K. is "on the path to an exit without a deal."

EU leaders pulled back from the brink that time, by allowing an extension of the Article 50 negotiating period. But European leaders are still concerned about the practical consequences of a long Brexit extension, including U.K. participation in the European Parliament election in less than two months, as well as its ability to name a commissioner and vote on fundamental issues like the budget.

"A long extension involving participation in the European Parliament election is neither evident nor automatic," Macron said.

The leaders were meeting in Paris to discuss current options and the consequences of a no-deal Brexit. France and Ireland stand to be particularly hard hit by a no-deal Brexit because of their geographic proximity and strong commercial relationships with the U.K.

While both maintained the united European position on Brexit, they once again expressed readiness to discuss new proposals by the U.K. in order to have an orderly exit.

"There is still time for the prime minister to come to the European Council with proposals that are credible," Varadkar said.

Macron reiterated that beyond the U.K.'s exit from the EU it "will remain a friend and essential ally," and ended by affirming that France "will never abandon, no matter what, Ireland and the Irish."