U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and European Council President Donald Tusk at 10 Downing Street. Photo: Frank Augstein / AP
The United Kingdom and European Union are potentially still months away from finalizing an exit deal for the U.K. that would allow Brexit negotiations to move on to discussions surrounding a permanent trade deal, per Bloomberg.
The hang up: Before the U.K. officially exits the E.U., which will happen with or without a deal in March 2019, the E.U. is attempting to force the U.K. to honor its financial commitments as a member of the bloc with a significant "divorce payment." In an attempt to compromise, Prime Minister Theresa May gave a speech in Florence last week promising that the U.K. would pay into the E.U.'s budget for two years in order to guarantee a two-year transition period that would maintain current trade rules.