Britain's Prime Minister has held "constructive" talks with the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator and head of the bloc's executive.
Theresa May took time out from her election campaign to host a working dinner on Wednesday at 10 Downing St with negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Downing Street said May restated the UK's commitment to a "deep and special partnership" with the EU post-Brexit.
Juncker and May discussed the broader geopolitical agenda and issues of strategic interest to both, a European Commission spokesman said.
Leaders of the 27 other EU countries are set to discuss their negotiating guidelines at a summit in Brussels on Saturday.
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Negotiations between Britain and the bloc are due to start after June's UK election, with the size of the divorce bill facing Britain one of the first thorny items on the agenda.
Barnier has insisted the UK must "settle the accounts" before beginning talks on a future trading relationship with the EU.
Senior members of the government have insisted Britain will not pay a bill of the scale suggested by the likes of Juncker, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox branding the idea "absurd".
But May has said she is ready to discuss a "fair settlement" of Britain's obligations, although she has given no hint of the amount she is prepared to pay.
Britain and the EU have just two years in which to untangle their four-decade relationship and forge a new one.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was confident the UK would get "a good deal that works for both Britain and our European friends".
