British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Jeroen Von der Leyen said On Thursday that the terms of a final TRADE agreement between Britain and the EU "do not yet exist" because of major differences over the three key issues of a level playing field, compliance management and fisheries.

Johnson and Von der Leyen talked over the phone again on the same day about the future of UK-EU relations. In a joint statement issued after the call, the two sides said they had asked the lead negotiator and his team to prepare an outline of their differences for discussion in face-to-face meetings in Brussels in the coming days.

Johnson and Von Der Leyen 5 talks on the phone and issued a joint statement. The statement said the two sides welcomed progress in many areas, but significant differences remain on three key issues: a level playing field, implementation management and fisheries. If these issues are not resolved, there can be no agreement.

Analysts said that after several rounds of talks, the level playing field, implementation management and fisheries issues remained the main obstacles to a deal, and both sides were looking to leader-level communication to help bridge differences.

Britain formally left the European Union on January 31 this year, followed by an 11-month transition period. The two sides launched negotiations on a future relationship centered on a trade agreement in March and look forward to reaching an agreement during the transition period. If no agreement is reached, trade between the two sides will return to the World Trade Organization from 2021, reapplying arrangements such as border checks and tariffs.