UK, French leaders hold phone talks on Brexit, coronavirus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron on Satuday had a telephone conversation on Brexit as British and European Union (EU) negotiators engage in the eleventh-hour trade deal meetings, reported Xinhua.

Johnson said that his country is committed to reaching a post-Brexit agreement with the EU, but also emphasized that progress must be made in the coming days to bridge the significant gaps between the two sides.

The two leaders held the talks as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 15 deadline for a deal. Britain and the EU acknowledged progress in rounds of talks but significant gaps remain in fisheries and the level playing field.

The prime minister "confirmed the UK's commitment to exploring every avenue to reach an agreement," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Johnson underlined that a deal was better for both sides, but he also said that Britain was prepared to end the transition period on Australia-style terms if an agreement could not be found, said the spokesperson.

The Australia-style arrangement is an euphemism for failure to reach a free trade agreement with the EU, which means Britain-EU trade will fall back on World Trade Organization rules in 2021.

The British chief negotiator, David Frost, and his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, are expected to meet again in Brexit talks on Monday after their Friday meetings in London. The EU will have a summit on Thursday.

Britain and the EU started their lengthy and bumpy post-Brexit talks in March after Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31, trying to secure a future trade deal before the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Johnson and Macron also discussed the coronavirus crisis in their bilateral discussions as a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections was reported in their countries, local media reported.

The discussion took place at a time when Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines to check the spread of the virus in the world.