Real Q: Does UKG actually want an agreed way forward or a further breakdown in relations?

Simon Coveney

I think the mood music has improved, we all want a deal, we all know that a no-deal will be a lose, lose, lose for everybody, but particularly for Ireland and Britain.

We are putting forward alternatives, so it's a cover when they keep saying: 'You are not putting forward ideas' - we are putting forward ideas.

It's just not true, we are putting forward alternatives. by Simon Coveney

It's just not true, we are putting forward alternatives.

Boris Johnson is outlining a very clear and firm position but it is a totally unreasonable position that the EU cannot facilitate and he must know that.

If there are alternatives to the backstop that do the same job, well then let's hear them. And if we can work out a deal on that basis, so be it. But it's got to be credible.

The statements of the British prime minister yesterday in the House of Commons were very unhelpful to this process, he seems to have made a deliberate decision to set Britain on a collision course with the European Union and with Ireland in relation to the Brexit negotiations.

The approach that the British prime minister seems to now be taking is not going to be the basis of an agreement, and that's worrying for everybody.

From my perspective, I don't see the European Union offering any new prime minister a better or very different deal to what was on offer to Theresa May, this idea that a new prime minister will be a tougher negotiator and will put it up to the EU and get a much better deal for Britain? That's not how the EU works.

I think anything is possible now but I think Britain needs to be careful because I think from an EU perspective, not an Irish perspective, that patience has run out. The EU wants to get on with many, many other challenging political questions.

We've seen in the killing of Lyra McKee and the tragedy around that what happens in a vacuum where politics isn't working, we need to correct that.

Ireland and Britain need to work together, and the British and Irish governments will work closely together to try and do some of the heavy lifting with the political parties that can change this within weeks not months.

There aren't any medicines that are on any kind of risk list in terms of not being supplied after the end of March, but we will continue to monitor that very closely to make sure there is no delay in supply, pharmacists and people in general should not be stockpiling medicines because actually stockpiling in itself sometimes causes problems with supply.

While we have a huge amount of contingency planning in place ... I wouldn't like to give the impression that we could easily manage a no-deal Brexit, it would put huge strain on the Irish economy.

We respect different views in U.S. on sanctions, but our focus has always been on protecting jobs and livelihoods in Ireland and EU.

I certainly think it is a step toward a much softer Brexit than some people had been advocating, i think we should hopefully see the Brexit process move from the politics of parliaments to the negotiating rooms in Brussels... which is hopefully where we will get to from Monday on.

I think for the first time we're seeing very direct language which points to a much softer Brexit than I think some people have been commenting on and that has to be welcomed, i don't think they (the EU) will accept it in full but I hope it can be the basis for a serious negotiation now. I think there will be some concerns in the EU that this is essentially Britain picking and choosing what elements of the single market it wants to be part of.

From an Irish point of view there is some quite strong language that is positive, mainly that Britain is absolutely committed to what we call the backstop but more importantly they are determined to ensure that the backstop will never be necessary.

In the next two weeks, we need to see written proposals. It needs to happen two weeks from the summit, if there is no progress on the backstop, we are in for an uncertain summer. At this point we need written proposals on the Irish backstop consistent with what was agreed. We await written proposals from the British side.

This is driving a fury across the European Union within the public as to why can’t we stop this, they want people held to account for the decisions taken and the brutality that we have seen.

This isn’t a time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what’s happening with and in Ukraine.