EU expects no breakthrough on U.S. tariffs at G7 summit: Senior EU official

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union does not expect any breakthrough on steel and aluminium tariffs imposed by the United States on the EU and Canada at talks of G7 leaders in Canada later this week, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.

"We do not expect any breakthrough in the dispute with United States in Charlevoix," the official said.

The G7 are the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain, Germany, France and Italy. Their leaders will meet in the town of Charlevoix in Canada on June 8-9.

Finance leaders of the closest U.S. allies vented anger over the Trump administration's metal import tariffs on Saturday, ending a three-day meeting with a stern rebuke of Washington and setting up a heated fight at a G7 summit.

In a rare show of division among the normally harmonious club of wealthy nations, the six other G7 member countries issued a statement asking U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to convey their "unanimous concern and disappointment" about the tariffs to President Donald Trump.

The 25 percent steel and 10 percent aluminium tariffs were imposed this week on Mexico, Canada and the European Union after temporary exemptions expired.

(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)