Europe working to keep defense ties with UK after Brexit: German minister

(Reuters) - Europe is working on continuing defense cooperation with the United Kingdom after it leaves the European Union, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told Deutsche Welle in an interview on Friday. "We are working on a regulation - the so-called third-state regulation - that gives access to countries like our British friends, which we want to have in our European Defence Union," the defense minister said. Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan Thomas)