WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday made the following statement on the United Kingdom’s official exit from the European Union (EU) and prospects for a free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom:

“Brexit weakens Britain, the European Union and the entire Western alliance, but that didn’t stop the president’s early and consistent support for the split. Trump’s support for Brexit—and desire to reward Brexiteers with a bilateral free trade agreement —will encourage others to follow suit, presenting a grave threat to broader transatlantic security and U.S. interests,” said Murphy. “A weaker EU is a gift to Putin. If the impeachment trial has shown anything, this president has no intention to ever put America’s interests above his own. We have no better friend or ally on the planet than Britain, and I believe we should ultimately have a free trade agreement that reflects our special relationship. But instead of rewarding this dangerous decision, our first priority must be to conclude a free trade agreement with the EU to establish a dominant bloc to counter China and Russia.”

Last year, Murphy traveled to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Upon returning, Murphy authored an op-ed warning about the promise of a U.S.-Britain trade agreement as  reward for Brexit. Last June, Murphy questioned Mr. Philip Reeker, U.S. State Department Acting Assistance Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, about President Trump’s position on the ongoing Brexit negotiations in the United Kingdom, and whether preserving the Good Friday Agreement is a precondition to a potential trade deal with the United Kingdom.

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