Top British and European Union negotiators will dine at Number 10 Downing Street later on Tuesday, kicking off the latest round of Brexit talks that have all but stalled because of major differences over their future relationship, news wires reported.

The European Union must speak with one voice to China if it wants to achieve ambitious deals that secure the bloc’s interests, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, voicing concerns over a new Chinese security law in Hong Kong, news wires reported. “In order to have successful relations with China and to represent our European interests effectively, Europe must speak decisively with one voice,” Merkel told Bundesrat.

Serious differences remained between the European Union and Britain after talks this week on their future relationship, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Thursday. “The EU expects its positions to be better understood and respected in order to reach an agreement. We need an equivalent engagement by the United Kingdom,” he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday the European Union must prepare for a possible failure of talks with Britain over a new trading relationship. Talks on a future, EU-UK trade deal have resumed in Brussels on Monday, with negotiators meeting face-to-face for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the process to be carried out via video link.

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned on Tuesday the expulsion of the EU's ambassador from Caracas, DPA reported. The move taken by the Venezuelan president was in response to sanctions issued against individuals from the South American country. On Monday, the European Council added 11 Venezuelans to the sanctions list for "undermining democracy and rule of law." The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.

Switzerland and the European Union are unlikely to agree a deal on a new treaty regulating their relations until next year, when the outcome of Brexit talks is known, former Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in an interview published on Monday. Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, has a patchwork of 120 sectoral accords with the bloc, and the two sides have spent years negotiating a framework agreement.

A fresh round of intensified negotiations between Britain and the European Union are set to begin on Monday, after four rounds of talks brought little progress in agreeing post-Brexit arrangements, DPA reports.

A long list of topics were on the wide-ranging agenda of the 22nd EU-China bilateral Summit that took place via videoconference on Monday. During five hours, the two presidents – of the European Council, Charles Michel, and EC President Ursula von der Leyen, together with High Representative Josep Borrell, held talks first with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang followed by exchanges with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The EU, founded on democratic values and respect for human rights, will continue to play a leading role in guaranteeing the protection of refugees, a joint statement of the European Commission and the High Representative said on the occasion of World Refugee Day, 20 June.

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the UK today to mark the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s appeal to the French resistance during World War Two, and to talk discuss Brexit matters with PM Boris Johnson, news wires reported. Macron will be hosted by Prince Charles.