The president of the European council, Donald Tusk, has claimed he convinced Donald Trump that Brexit is an “incident not a trend” and that the EU27 is more united than ever.

Speaking at a press conference at the G7 meeting in Sicily, Tusk said he was buoyed by a positive conversation with Trump, who has previously suggested other EU countries might follow Britain’s lead.

In January, Trump told Michael Gove, who was a prominent figure in the leave campaign in Britain, that he thought the EU was a vehicle for Germany and that the UK had been “smart in getting out”.

“I believe others will leave. I do think keeping it together is not going to be as easy as a lot of people think,” Trump said at the time.

Tusk said there had been a change of heart, telling journalists: “I was positively surprised by President Trump’s comments on Brexit because it was clear for both of us that in fact the EU27 is more united after Brexit than before.

“I tried to convince him – and I deeply believe – that Brexit is very important and dramatic but just an incident, not a trend. And President Trump agreed. It was for me a very positive moment in our discussion.”

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, was also in the meeting with Trump and at the press conference.



“On Brexit, we mentioned it in passing,” he said. “We made it clear that this in our eyes is a real tragedy, that it is not in the interest of either of the British nor the continental and Irish Europeans. I described why we don’t want other member states to leave and I don’t know any member state having the intention to leave. We were explaining not in detail but roughly.”

Asked later whether, in the wake of the terror attack in Manchester, security cooperation between the UK and the EU27 should be dealt with outside of Brexit talks, Tusk did not address the issue but turned again to his conversation with Trump.

He said he agreed with the US president that a “tough, even brutal” response to terror and Islamic State was needed.

“It is understandable that terrorism, counter-terrorism, Isis were one of the main topics during our meeting with President Trump. Manchester was the most tragic context of our discussions,” Tusk said.

“I was interested by the determination and toughness of President Trump when it comes to counter-terrorism. I totally agreed with him when he said the international community, G7, the US, Europe should be tough, even brutal, vis-a-vis terrorism and Isis. President Trump was also very tough regarding North Korea. In this context he can help us.”

Tusk was also asked about Theresa May’s claim that the EU could be forced to pay money to Britain as part of Brexit negotiations.

“No, we have to respect our obligations and I think it’s not about money, it’s about rules and also it’s about a good basis for our future relations,” he said. “This is why we will be very consistent in this problem, but please believe me, it’s not because of money but because of rules.”

It came as May held her first bilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron since he became French president.



A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair had agreed on the need to crack down on the “spread of poisonous material and propaganda on the internet that is leading people down the path towards terrorism”.

“The prime minister stressed the social responsibility for social media companies to do more,” they added, with May expected to raise the issue with other world leaders this afternoon.

May began her day in Sicily with a meeting with the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the San Domenico Palace hotel, a former monastery.



Seated in front of the flags of France, the UK and the EU, May said the Manchester attack was “one of our worst terrorist incidents that we’ve ever experienced” and thanked Macron for his solidarity.

“France itself knows what it is like to suffer from terrorist attacks. And these incidents show us why it is so important for us to work together in defeating terrorism,” she said, stressing the need to continue the “long and deep relationship” between the two countries.

After conveying his condolences, the French president said: “We will be here to cooperate and do everything we can in order to increase this cooperation at the European level, in order to do more from a bilateral point of view against terrorism.”

He also said he wanted to discuss bilateral issues on defence, migration and economic development.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair had agreed on the need to crack down on the “spread of poisonous material and propaganda on the internet that is leading people down the path towards terrorism”.

“The prime minister stressed the social responsibility for social media companies to do more,” they added, with May expected to raise the issue with other world leaders this afternoon.

On Brexit and the article 50 process, May said she wanted an early agreement to reassure EU citizens in the UK and vice-versa.

“She also made clear that Britain and the 27 EU member states should be discussing our future relationship with the EU at the same time as discussing the terms of our withdrawal,” said the spokesperson.