New world news from Time: Boris Johnson Says U.K. Is Offering Brexit Compromise to E.U.

(MANCHESTER, England) –– Britain has sent its proposals for a Brexit deal to leaders of the European Union, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging “rapid negotiations towards a solution.”

The proposals submitted on Wednesday focus on maintaining an open border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland – the key sticking point to a Brexit deal.

Johnsons says in a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that the U.K. proposes to do that by keeping Northern Ireland closely aligned to EU rules for trade in goods, possibly for an extended period.

He says not reaching a deal would be “a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.”