EU prepares for hard rift with U.K.

The European Union on Thursday offered to maintain train, airline, and freight operations with Britain for six months if they can’t reach a trade agreement by the end of this year. Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but let many things, including international trade, stay the same for the following 11 months. The two sides are at a stalemate over fishing rights, fair competition, and how to resolve future disputes.

How are the negotiations going? European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a three-hour dinner meeting on Wednesday but failed to make much progress. The leaders set Sunday as their deadline to decide the way forward while negotiators continue discussions.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on what pushed the divorce process between Britain and the EU along in January.