BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — In line with the legal rules, the United Kingdom is unable to sign any trade deals with the third parties until it leaves the European Union, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said Tuesday.
"It is a very simple legal situation. Everybody can talk to everyone, but you can only sign a trade agreement with the third country once you have left the European Union and not before," Timmermans told journalists.
In a big interview with The Times and Bild on January 15, US President Donald Trump pledged to sign a new trade deal with the United Kingdom to mitigate the Brexit consequences. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed Trump's promise.
The United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union in a referendum held on June 23, 2016.
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