Talks between the United States and European Union on steel and aluminum trade are unlikely to culminate in a deal Friday and negotiations will continue, according to an AFP source.

The talks come as US President Joe Biden hosts European leaders at the White House for a summit against a backdrop of global crises.

The leaders are due to deliver a message of unity on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, but trade issues are also on the agenda.

Washington and Brussels have been locked in talks for a deal on steel and aluminum relating to tariffs on European goods imposed by former president Donald Trump.

Those levies have since been replaced with tariff-rate quotas allowing European steel and aluminum to enter the United States without tariffs -- up to a level in line with historical trends.

But the truce expires by the end of the year, and authorities have sought to conclude negotiations by October.

The AFP source familiar with the matter said no deal is likely Friday on steel and aluminum. The source was not authorized to speak publicly.

For now, an issue is whether the US would drop the tariffs and remove quotas, as the EU wants.

If no lasting solution is found, the tariffs risk coming back into force next year.

Both sides are seeking to avoid this outcome and if negotiations continue, the quotas could be rolled over. The two sides are also discussing ways to encourage trade in more environmentally friendly ways.

There was also hope that an agreement on critical minerals, which are key to the energy transition, would be finalized in Washington, but the source said an agreement has yet to be reached on that.

Such a deal would help European companies benefit from provisions in the US Inflation Reduction Act.

The last EU-US summit took place in Brussels, in June 2021.