President Donald Trump on Friday said there is a “50-50 chance” the United States will reach a trade agreement with the European Union to reduce tariffs, even as EU diplomats have signalled greater optimism about striking a deal before the August 1 deadline.

President Donald Trump put the odds of striking a trade deal with Europe to reduce the tariff rate on their imports at 50-50, even as diplomats from the trading bloc have expressed optimism in recent days that an agreement could be near.

Von der Leyen said Friday that she had a good call with Trump and the two had agreed to meet in Scotland to discuss trans-Atlantic trade relations “and how we can keep them strong.” European officials are optimistic that they are nearing agreement on an outline deal that could see the European Union accept 15% baseline tariffs on most goods,