Theresa May expects full EU role until Brexit

Attending her first European Union summit since Britain's vote to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May tried to reassure EU leaders over Brexit but was told by French President Francois Hollande to prepare for tough negotiations.

At a gathering in Brussels where EU leaders had robust debates on Russia, migration and trade issues, May was allotted a short time slot at the end of dinner on Thursday to lay out her plans for taking Britain out of the EU after more than four decades as a member.

May has said she will formally notify the EU of Britain's plan to leave by the end of March, but she and her ministers have sent conflicting signals about what kind of relationship they envision once the divorce talks end.

Her speech at a conference of her Conservative Party in early October suggested to some that she was leaning towards a so-called "hard Brexit" in which Britain would place limits on immigration and lose access to Europe's lucrative single market.

"The UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we'll be a strong and dependable partner after we have left," May said. She added that the UK should still be part of summits and negotiations when matters affecting all 28 member states were being discussed.

Hollande warned May that "the negotiations will be hard" while German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed May's message that Britain would try to avoid causing damage to the EU in the looming talks. She said the two sides faced a "difficult path", though.

Arriving at the summit in Brussels on Thursday, May pledged to continue to "work closely" with the EU after Brexit. She stressed it was important to have a "united European stance" against "Russian aggression" that included "sickening" violence in Syria. She told fellow leaders they "must be ready to take steps to change Russia's approach and the way it thinks about this if we are ever to bring an end to the violence in Syria", the BBC reported citing government sources.

Leaders from across the bloc also made clear that they would not bow to May's suggestion that preparatory talks take place before she invokes Article 50 of the EU treaty, starting the two-year countdown to Brexit.

"There will be no negotiations before Article 50 is triggered by the UK," said European Council President Donald Tusk. "However, the basic principles, namely the single market and the indivisibility of the four freedoms, will remain our firm stance."