LONDON - Britain and the EU have held their first summit since Brexit, and analysts say it's not like a couple reunion, but more like Ax realizing that they still have to work together because of the kids.

It has been nine years since the British voted to leave the EU (2016), and five years since the change really began (2020). For some British people, Brexit means being able to control their own borders, as well as freedom of foreign regulation in Brussels. It's an embarrassing goal for others, making their economy smaller and rattle with their biggest trading partners.

But as Ukraine and the Trump administration’s war rethinks the old alliance, Britain and the EU realize that they may need more than they thought they need.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed EU officials to London on Monday, including European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, for his first official summit since the breakup. This is what is expected to happen, not.

Are the UK and the EU getting together again?

Polls show Now, most British people think that Britain's departure from the EU is wrong. Some people call it "Brett" or"Re-establish. “Theirs The economy suffered.

But Brexit is turbulent. There was a campaign, then a referendum in 2016, then a four-year negotiation, followed by an actual exit in 2020. Now there are some people saying itTraining“ - Even if this is a mistake, the UK has been resigned by its fate outside the EU and has little interest in biasing the process.

So, Starmer, who opposes Brexit, says he is doing what he calls a "reset" with the EU.

"It's like a couple breaking up, but there's still a lot of things they still have to manage together. So it's not like a decentralized record collection," said Jill Rutter, a former top civil servant in the UK. “It’s more like, you agreed to a five-year agreement to custody a child, but then said, we’ll go back to its long term to resolve it.”

Under their 2020 breakup agreement, the UK and the EU have already conducted tax-free trade. So what they did at Monday’s summit is a smaller thing: how much access can the European fishing industry get in British waters, whether British college students can work in Europe, and vice versa, and which airports E-Passport Gates citizens can use it.

Although some themes are not on the table

The UK government will remain outside the EU's single-market trading group.

The UK will continue to sign its own trade agreement. recent Agree To alleviate U.S. tariffs on British steel, aluminum and most cars. It also signed a comprehensive Trade agreement with India this month.

Another red line in the UK is liquidity.

When it is part of the EU, people in one of the other member states can live and work freely in the UK, and it is one of the things that A proactive Brexit. Many British people who voted to leave the EU said they did this because they wanted to control their borders, restrict immigration, and settle down in the country.

Immigration remains a controversial issue in the UK. A far-right anti-immigrant party led by Trump's Nigel Farage, known as "Reform Britain" Major benefits In the local elections in England last month. Starmer Already adopted Farage's populist language about immigration.

In the 2016 Brexit referendum, some accused Starmer of opposing voters' wishes at the summit. Some front pages Newspaper headlines He was accused of "betrayal" and "selling out" on Monday. Farage calls Starmer's position is "despicable surrender".

“We are in a very good reform in the polls, and they and the (opposition) Conservatives are against any renegotiation with the EU,” explained Anand Menon, professor of European politics at King's College London. “So the government is concerned that if they go too far, or if they negotiate too much with the EU, they will be vulnerable to rights criticism.”

So what else should be discussed?

With the freedom of single markets and desktop movement, what remains is smaller things: how to improve agricultural trade, or how to make it easier for lawyers and accountants to work in each other’s countries, Menon said.

They announced new agreement Fishing Rights. At the end of June 2026, post-Brexit transactions will expire at the end of June 2026.

Climate policy, carbon markets and even music may collaborate. Elton John has always been Lobbying to reduce the traditional Chinese tape festival For British musicians who toured Europe.

But overall, analysts say it's the symbolism of the summit - which happens at all - rather than its content, which is important.

Two elephants in the room: Ukraine and Trump

The most important deals may be related to national defense, security and ultimately Ukraine.

Since the full-scale invasion of Russia, Britain and the EU have been Ukraine's top supporter. They have been strengthening the country's defense and have been discussing it Send peacekeepers Ukraine vs. Ukraine as part of a future peace agreement.

Both are engaged in Historic reunionThe United States may not be amid Trump administration warnings Ensure safety in Europe forever. The UK and the EU are also spending more on their own defenses as Trump calls on NATO members to share the burden of funding and armed coalitions.

These new geopolitics lay the foundation for a new bond between the UK and the EU.

"Two things happen in defense and trade: one is that the United States no longer looks so dedicated (European security), which is why you want to get Europeanization of defense," said former civil servant Lutt. "The other is Trump, who makes the trade environment in the whole world more turbulent. Some people (in the UK) say, don't you want to participate in at least one of the big trading groups? Because that's a safer place."

Brexit is turbulent and painful. I've been feeling sad for years.

But with the war in Ukraine and Trump’s power, “both sides recognize that they have a responsibility to show that they can propose a common front,” said political scientist Menon.

“In fact, for all our differences, in a world as frightening as the world we live in, we need to work together,” he said.