US President Donald Trump has declared that the time has come to pursue trade negotiations with the European Union which he says imposes “incredible” barriers to US goods, reports AFP.

"Europe has been treating us very badly," Trump said at a White House event with US state governors.

After a reaching a series of trade deals with Canada, Mexico and Japan, and a phase-one agreement with China, Trump said, "The next thing could be Europe, where we talk to them very seriously."

He renewed his complaints about EU trade policy, even claiming improbably that the economic bloc "was really formed so they could treat us badly."