European Union leaders begin crisis meetings to deal with Brexit aftershock
US diplomat John Kerry arrives in Brussels as Merkel and Hollande try to avoid fallout
- Major leaders have said that they want negotiations with the UK to begin as soon as possible
- Britain will have around 2 years to complete the process after invoking Article 50
Updated : 11:27
Key figures in the European Union are meeting on Monday to hold talks about the bloc's reaction to Britain's exit vote last Thursday.
After a weekend of high drama, including the resignation of prime minister David Cameron, and a severe split within the Labour party ranks, European leaders will meet in Berlin to come to an agreement on the union's response.
President of the European Council Donald Tusk will meet with French president François Hollande in Paris before travelling to Berlin for talks that will involve German chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian leader Matteo Renzi.
European leaders will meet in Berlin to come to an agreement on the union's response
US diplomat John Kerry will also be present for much of the talks as America seeks to get involved in a process which may well affect their interests also.
First on the agenda for the leaders will likely be the potential upcoming negotiations with Britain in order to facilitate its exit from Europe.
Many leading EU figures, including European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, have said that they want the UK to invoke Article 50 as soon as possible, rather than wasting time with informal discussions.
France and Germany also insisted they were in "full agreement" on Brexit but what that agreement is remains uncertain.
After Cameron's resignation, the Conservative leader said that he would not be the one to trigger Article 50, which is the beginning of the exit process from the EU which has yet to be used.
That leaves the decision to his successor when he stands down in October, a delay apparently not favoured by Europe´s big boys.