BRUSSELS (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May is brushing aside concerns that she might be angered that European Union leaders are meeting without her to discuss Europe's future.

May said as she arrived at EU headquarters Thursday that Britain will trigger its exit from the bloc in March and that "it's right that the other leaders prepare for those negotiations, as we have been."

She said "we will be leaving the EU, we want that to be a smooth and as orderly a process as possible. It's not just in our interests. It's in the interest of the rest of Europe."

The EU's 28 leaders are meeting Thursday to discuss security, migration and relations with Ukraine. May will then leave while the other leaders hold evening dinner talks about Brexit and the EU's future.