Britain’s vote to leave the EU hasn’t just turned European politics upside-down and inside-out, it’s also led to some interesting rhetorical contortions by leaders over how to react to it.

The spectrum of views has included everything from “Good riddance, Britain, don’t let the door hit you on the way out” to “Let’s act quickly to end political and economic uncertainty” to “Let’s think this through and make sure we get it right” — sometimes all from the same person, depending on when you ask.

That’s been especially true in the last couple of weeks, which have seen a considerable ratcheting down of the rhetoric heard in the days leading up to and just after the referendum vote on June 23. Now, even leaders who had advocated a hard line against Britain, such as French President François Hollande, are willing to admit that the EU and U.K. need to find a way to work together — even hinting that the door is open to renegotiating one or two things that were previously called non-negotiable.

The thought that EU leaders might offer a new set of terms to London on restricting migration — after having gone out on a limb for the last deal, only to see it rejected — was called “wishful thinking” Monday by European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas. But the EU has never been short of that.

Here’s a look at how the positioning of several top EU leaders has shifted — or, shall we say, evolved? — over the last several months:

Jean-Claude Juncker

The European Commission president kept mostly quiet during months of debate on the referendum, having been advised that any political statement he made on the subject would be used against Brussels. But occasionally he let his feelings show, such as in a May reference to Brits as possible EU “deserters.” His defiance after the vote result — basically: Don’t blame me, I didn’t call the referendum, and let’s get this over with quickly — has given way to a more understanding, patient tone.

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• May 20: “I’m sure the deserters will not be welcomed with open arms.”
• June 16: “It will be a huge mistake for them and for us if the Brexit camp wins in the U.K.”
• June 24: “We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be.”
• July 25: “The British government needs several months to fine-tune its position.”

Donald Tusk

The European Council president worked hard to broker a deal in February among EU leaders for reforms aimed at keeping Britain in the Union. As the vote approached he often painted a bleak picture of what Brexit would mean for the EU, and for the world. In recent weeks he has adopted a calmer tone that acknowledges the reality of the split but downplays its potential for creating Armageddon.

• February 16: “The risk of a breakup is real because this process is indeed very fragile and must be handled with care. What is broken cannot be mended.”
• June 12: “As a historian I fear that Brexit could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but also of Western political civilization in its entirety.”
• June 28: “The day after Brexit, I felt as if someone very close to me had left our home, and in the same second I felt also how dear and precious this home was to me.”
• July 20: “We need an orderly, calm Brexit, something like a ‘velvet divorce.'”

Angela Merkel

Not even the mighty German chancellor, working behind the scenes to help other EU leaders see the wisdom of trying to keep Britain in the Union, could prevent a Brexit vote. In the immediate aftermath she played along with other leaders’ insistence that divorce proceedings needed to happen quickly, but now is back to her more conciliatory comfort zone.

• January 6: “It is especially important that we make decisions in our own interest in order to achieve a reasonable package that will allow Great Britain to remain a part of the European Union.”
• June 27: “There will be no informal or formal talks about an exit of Great Britain until a request has been submitted to the European Council.… We don’t want this to turn into a never-ending story.”
• July 20: “We are listening to the U.K., we are listening to Britain what it actually wants and then we will give the right response.”

François Hollande

The French president has insisted all along that Britain must play by the rules if it wants to have a relationship with the EU. But his position has softened from an insistence on punishing Britain for leaving to an acknowledgement of the importance of still doing business. In a meeting last week with British Prime Minister Theresa May he seemed to suggest there could still be some room for renegotiation of terms for Britain’s access to the single market.

• February 4: “We want the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union.… But at the European Council [summit], there can be no new adjustments … [or] new negotiations.”
• June 29: “If they don’t want free movement, they won’t have access to the single market.”
• July 22: “There cannot be freedom of movement of goods, free movement of capital, free movement of services if there isn’t a free movement of people.”

Martin Schulz

The European Parliament president has never been shy about expressing his views on Brexit, or on just about anything else. But even he has backed away in recent days from an insistence that the divorce proceedings have to begin now, if not sooner.

• May 12: “A Brexit would be a disaster both for the European Union and for Britain.”
• June 28: “A spell of prolonged uncertainty would be in no one’s interest and would threaten the Union’s integrity.”
• July 12: “The U.K. should not be treated as a deserter but as a family member who is still loved but has decided to go in another direction.”

Theresa May

As home secretary she was a seemingly reluctant campaigner for Remain; now, as prime minister, she is just as reluctantly going through the motions of Brexit.

 

• February 20: “The EU is far from perfect … but in my view — for reasons of security, protection against crime and terrorism, trade with Europe and access to markets around the world — it is in the national interest to remain a member of the EU.”
• July 11: “Brexit means Brexit…. There will be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it by the back door, and no second referendum.”
• July 20: “I want to be clear today that we are not walking away from our European friends.”

Guy Verhofstadt

The leader of the European Parliament’s liberal bloc has held perhaps the most consistent line throughout the Brexit debate, insisting all along that Brexit means Out and there’s no turning back.

• June 19: “Out is out.”
• July 5: “The Brexit vote is a political earthquake… The Union must change or it will die.”
• July 24: “The only new relationship between Britain and the European Union can be one in which the U.K. has an associated status with less obligations but equally less rights.”

Boris Johnson

He’s gone from ardent Europhile to ardent Euroskeptic to chief British isolationist to the man now in charge of Britain’s foreign policy, all in the space of a few months.

 

• June 22: “We offer hope, we believe in Britain… If we vote Leave and take back control, this Thursday can be our country’s Independence Day.”
• June 26: “I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be.”
• July 24: “I have absolutely no doubt that balance can be struck and over the next few weeks we’ll be discussing that in the government and with our European friends and partners.”

Matteo Renzi

The Italian prime minister has plenty of political problems of his own, but that hasn’t stopped him from offering an array of views on what Brexit would mean for Europe.

 

• June 22: “A vote to leave Europe would not be a disaster, a tragedy or the end of the world for you in the U.K. It would be worse, because it would be the wrong choice.”
• June 27: “Allow me to say that Brexit can be a great opportunity for Europe.”
• July 23: “The victory of Brexit was a political victory for those who wanted to get out [of the EU] and a political defeat for Europe.”

David Cameron

The man who set it all in motion in 2013 by promising Britain an In-Out vote on EU membership has had a shifting view on what price the U.K. would pay for an Out vote — painting an especially bleak picture just before the referendum. But by the day after, he seemed to have calmed down.

• November 9, 2015: “Some people seem to say that really Britain couldn’t survive, couldn’t do OK outside the European Union. I don’t think that is true.”
• June 21: “To put it as clearly as I can: Our economic security is paramount … we leave, we put it at risk. That’s a risk to jobs, a risk to families, a risk to our children’s future – and there’s no going back.”
• June 24: “Although leaving Europe was not the path I recommended, I am the first to praise our incredible strengths. I said before that Britain can survive outside the European Union and indeed that we could find a way.”