Brexit Talks Likely to Progress in December, Irish PM Says

Varadkar says more optimistic than previously on trade talks
Irish border one of three issues needing sufficient progress

Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, speaks during an interview in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Aug. 21, 2017. Varadkar said he remains "confused and puzzled" about the U.K.'s global trading plans after Brexit, as the clock ticks down in talks on the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union.Photographer: Cole Burston/Bloomberg

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By Dara Doyle

November 8, 2017 at 3:11 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said it’s likely European Union leaders will green light Brexit negotiations to move to their next phase in December.

“I am more optimistic than I was in the weeks before the October summit,” Varadkar said in parliament in Dublin on Wednesday. “That may change.”