Sitting alongside Trump in the club ballroom, von der Leyen said she was “very much looking forward to the discussions we will have now … our staff have done the heavy lifting, but it’s on us now.”

She also rated the chances of a deal at 50-50.

The talks follow a two-week standoff triggered by Trump, who in a letter to von der Leyen threatened to jack up tariffs on most EU goods to 30 percent if no deal were done by Aug. 1.

In a first sign that a breakthrough had been in the offing, von der Leyen announced on Friday she would fly to meet Trump in Scotland, where the U.S. president was on a private visit.

This story is being updated.

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