EU president Donald Tusk said on Thursday that Brexit could be reversed as leaders gathered in Brussels, amid growing confidence in a future without Britain.

Tusk, who has repeatedly said Brexit benefits no one, especially not Britain, suggested it was not too late to change tack. He insisted the remaining 27 members had a renewed sense of optimism about the bloc's future after years of crisis and mounting anti-EU sentiment culminating in the Brexit vote.

"Some of my British friends have even asked me whether Brexit could be reversed and whether I could imagine an outcome where the UK stays part of the EU. I told them that in fact the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve. So who knows. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one,” said Tusk.