'U.S. will support post-Brexit UK with a trade deal'

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to see a successful British exit from the European Union that Washington will support with a U.S.-UK free trade agreement, national security adviser John Bolton stressed to British officials on Monday.

As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, its biggest geopolitical shift since World War Two, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.

Bolton, in London for two days of talks with British officials, is seeking an improved U.S.-British relationship with Prime Minister Boris Johnson after sometimes tense ties between Trump and Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May.

A central message Bolton was making is that the United States will help cushion Britain's exit from the EU with a free trade agreement that is being negotiated by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his British counterpart, Liz Truss.

A senior Trump administration official, describing Bolton's message to British officials, said Trump "wants to see a successful British exit from the European Union" and that a trade deal would help Britain.