Image copyright EPA Image caption Theresa May met European Council president Donald Tusk last week in London

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union early next year, according to a top EU official. EU's Tusk: May indicated could trigger Brexit talks in Jan-Feb

BRATISLAVA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled that she could be ready to launch formal Brexit negotiations in January or February next year, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday, citing a recent talk with May. At the same time, it is not possible for these negotiations to damage our interests.”

Speaking earlier, Mr Tusk told European leaders the UK’s referendum result was due to “failures” of British politicians. “She declared that it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year, but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January, maybe in February, next year.”

He admitted Britain’s vote to leave was a “sad moment” for Europe, but said Brexit negotiations must prioritise the interests of the countries that remain members of the EU and “not the leaving country”, Sky News reported. Tusk said following an EU summit held without Britain that he had met recently with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who told him it was not going to happen as soon as many EU leaders had hoped after the June 23 referendum to leave the EU. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the same news conference that Britain could not achieve full access to the EU market that it would ideally like if it closed off free immigration for EU citizens: "I cannot see any possibility of compromising on that very issue," he said. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, said: 'Unless we feel a guarantee that these people are equal, we will veto any agreement between the EU and Britain.'
President of the European Council Donald Tusk states that the UK could begin its formal process of withdrawing from the European Union early next year, after a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May last week.