Boris Johnson rides a tank during visit to UK troops in Estonia - and is mocked by the Russian Embassy

Foreign Secretary: Boris Johnson rides in a tank during a visit to British troops in Estonia
Andrew Parsons/i-Images
Jonathan Mitchell8 September 2017
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Boris Johnson took a ride in a British Army tank as he proclaimed he was “rock solid confident” of getting a good Brexit deal with the EU during a trip to Estonia.

The foreign secretary was visiting UK troops in the country as part of a Nato mission to deter Russian aggression in the Balkans.

He brushed aside claims of growing tensions with the EU over Brexit, insisting that the countries could all “work together” to strike a deal.

Mr Johnson was then donned full camouflage gear and rode in a British Challenger tank as it sped across the Estonian fields.

Boris Johnson drives a tanks in Estonia

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When asked about potential problems at the border in Ireland, Mr Johnson told reporters: “I think we can all work together to come up with a solution on that one. It is not beyond the wit of man."

He added that he had "rock solid confidence" in Brexit secretary David Davis' ability to get a deal with the EU.

Boris Johnson visited UK troops stationed in Estonia as part of Nato mission
Andrew Parsons/i-Images

The UK’s Russian Embassy took to Twitter to ridicule the Foreign Secretary for posing in the tank during the trip, posting: “[Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov doesn’t need to ride a tank to make his point.

“He’d rather rely on consistency of message and evolving context.”

It comes after EU chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said the British Government’s post-Brexit plans “poisoned the diplomatic well” as tensions began to rise in the talks.

In the document, which was seen by the Telegraph earlier this week, low-skilled EU migrants will only be allowed to work in the UK for two years before being sent home in plans to curb immigrations.

Mr Verhofstadt told the Independent: “After a number of meetings in the European Parliament where this issue was raised by fellow MEPs, it’s clear to me that these policies, if implemented, will only serve to further poison the diplomatic well and erode trust in the capability of the British Home Office to deliver a fair and immigration system for EU citizens in the future."

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