FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Prime Minister, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar arrives for the informal meeting of European Union leaders in Salzburg, Austria, September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that he remained confident that negotiators can strike a deal on Britain’s exit from the European Union but that talks were entering a rocky couple of weeks.

EU leaders said this week that they would push for a Brexit deal next month but rejected proposals by British Prime Minister Theresa May, who heads into what is expected to be a tumultuous annual conference of her Conservative Party from Sept. 30.

“I think we can have a deal (but) we’re entering into a rocky patch over the next couple of weeks,” Varadkar told Irish national broadcaster RTE.