Emmanuel Macron Sparred With Boris Johnson Over Brexit Geography At G7

Over years of discussions, UK and France have made little headway, agreeing multiple texts and deals only to find that their solutions fall well short of expectations, and then bickering over what to do.

French President Emmanuel Macron stepped into the Brexit maelstrom on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit by sparring with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the post-Brexit geography of the United Kingdom and France. Ever since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the two sides have been trying to solve the riddle of what to do about the United Kingdom's Northern Ireland which has a land border with EU member Ireland. Over years of discussions, the two sides have made little headway, agreeing multiple texts and deals only to find that their solutions fall well short of expectations, and then bickering over what to do. Ultimately, the discussion keeps coming back to the delicate patchwork of history, nationalism, religion and geography that intertwine in Northern Ireland.