EU rules out quick divorce with UK

The U.K.'s Brexit process will be neither quick nor painless, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday.

"Some have created the illusion that Brexit will have no material impact on our lives and that it will be painless. This is not the case," Barnier told at a news conference in Brussels.

Ruling out a fast divorce between the U.K. and the EU, Marnier said they would start talks as soon as the British side is ready.

Barnier said Brexit -- voted for in a referendum last June -- had caused 10 months of uncertainty.

His comments come amid media reports earlier this week which suggest Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker had clashed over Brexit at a dinner.

However, Marnier said it was not the European Commission's intention to "punish" Britain for leaving the bloc.

"We will be transparent throughout the talks and remain cool-headed and solution-oriented," he said.

Barnier's remarks came shortly after the U.K.'s Brexit minister, David Davis, told a TV breakfast show the country would not pay a "divorce bill" which could be up to £85 billion ($110 billion).

However, Barnier said prior commitments should be fulfilled. "Settling the account; nothing more, nothing less," he added.

Barnier also said the U.K. "must put a great deal of energy and effort" into reaching agreement on three key three areas -- borders, the rights of EU citizens and the process of calculating a financial settlement.

Negotiations between the U.K. and the 27-member bloc are expected to start following the June 8 snap election in the U.K.