He met Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso on November 28 at the White House in a discussion that covered US-EU trade ties, foreign aid and cybersecurity.

Mr Obama said the US was "ready to do our part" to resolve the debt crisis.

The White House summit, the first with EU leaders since Mr Van Rompuy took office, came amid new recession fears.

Mr Obama said after the summit that the US has "a stake" in the EU's success.

"If Europe is contracting, or if Europe is having difficulties, then it's much more difficult for us to create good jobs here at home," he said.

The meeting also covered topics which the EU-US largely agree on - including worries about Iran's nuclear programme, efforts to increase clean energy technology and avoid climate change, as well as supporting democracy after the Arab Spring.