US, British leaders eye trade deal

U.S. and British leaders later this week will discuss a trade deal between the two longtime allies.

President Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May are slated to meet in the Oval Office on Friday to tackle a broad range of issues that include an eventual agreement after the United Kingdom has left the European Union.

“We’ll have an opportunity to talk about our possible future trading relationship, but also some of the world’s challenges that we all face, issues like defeating terrorism, the conflict in Syria,” May said during an interview on the BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show” on Sunday.

“When I sit down with Donald Trump, I’m going to be talking about how we can build on that special relationship.”

Trump recently told European media he wanted to ink a trade agreement between the two nations “very quickly.”

But the reality is that Britain will be deeply involved in a deal to leave the EU, with talks expected to start in March.

{mosads}Myron Brilliant, executive vice president for international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, recently told reporters that “the timing is not right today to launch an agreement” because the U.K. has to complete the EU exit negotiations first.

“We’re going to find an opportunity to continue to strengthen that relationship with the U.K., but first let’s see how the negotiations will start this year between Europe and the U.K.,” Brilliant said.

May will be the first world leader to meet with Trump since he took office. 

The Conservative prime minister also is set to become the first serving head of state or government outside the U.S. to address the annual congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

“It will provide a platform for the PM to set out how we want to advance the special relationship in the coming years and work together on a number of shared challenges,” according to a statement from the British Embassy on Sunday.