Merkel urges Britain to file EU exit request soon

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Duesseldorf, Germany, Tuesday Aug. 23, 2016. (Maja Hitij/dpa via AP) (The Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a bunch of flowers as a birthday present for a member of the cabinet during her arrival for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (The Associated Press)

TALLINN, Estonia – Germany's leader has urged Britain to file a formal request to leave the European Union soon, even though the member states are prepared to give the U.K. time to decide its future ties with the bloc.

Chancellor Angela Merkel says the EU is otherwise busy and "can bide the time" that Britain needs "to decide for its part what relationship it wants to have with the European Union."

But she cautioned that until Britain requests to start EU exit talks, "we can't reply and say what kind of relationship we envisage with Great Britain, (which is) the only thing we can negotiate."

Merkel spoke Wednesday after talks with Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas — part of her European tour ahead of an EU summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month.