EU chief executive sets four conditions for Brexit deal this year

The European Union will do its best to seal an agreement on new ties with Britain by the end of the year but will not compromise its values to achieve that, the bloc's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday.

The president of the European Commission told the European Parliament that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed to her that London would not seek to prolong negotiations on a new EU-UK trade deal.

"We're ready to be creative to find common ground," von der Leyen said. "It should be a shared interest for the European Union and the UK to never slide backwards and always advance together towards highest standards."