Supporters of a pro-Brexit group celebrate at Parliament Square in London, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)

European leaders are expected to meet to reexamine the post-Brexit talks on Thursday under pressure from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to give ground or see Britain walk away with no trade deal.

The 27 leaders have tried to keep Brexit off the agenda at their recent summits, trusting in EU negotiator Michel Barnier to defend their interests as the former partners hammer out a new relationship.

But Johnson has warned that he could walk away from the negotiations unless the results of the latest two-day Brussels' summit point the way to a breakthrough.

EU officials do not recognize his deadline, however, and insist they remain behind Barnier and united in their demands.

But they still believe a way can be found in the coming weeks to reach an agreement on fair competition rules and fishing quotas. 

During a cross-Channel call on the eve of the crunch talks, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned that there was "still a lot of work ahead of us" adding that Brussels wants a deal but "not at any price."

"Conditions must be right, on fisheries, level-playing field and governance," she warned.

A Downing Street spokesman said that during the call Johnson, talking to von der Leyen and EU summit host Charles Michel, had "expressed his disappointment that more progress had not been made over the past two weeks."

"The Prime Minister said that he looked forward to hearing the outcome of the European Council and would reflect before setting out the UK's next steps," the spokesman said.

The British side has accused Brussels of trying to force concessions by running down the clock, with the window narrowing on chances to agree and ratify a deal before the UK leaves the EU single market on December 31.

UK negotiators want Barnier's team to produce draft legal texts to serve as the basis of the next rounds of talks, but EU officials say the sides are still not close enough on the remaining tough issues.

European diplomats say Brussels is still hoping for a deal, but is looking for a sign from Johnson that he is serious about compromising on the EU priorities.

"We need to lower the landing gear. We're approaching the runway. Is he thinking about landing or is he still at 10,000 meters?" one asked.

AFP