US says withdrawing from Paris accord, unless terms change

The White House has insisted the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord without more favourable terms even though European diplomats sense a softening in the US position.

"There has been no change in the United States' position on the Paris agreement," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an email.

"As the president has made abundantly clear, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favourable to our country," she said.