THE HAGUE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- It will be a bitter disappointment if the United States withdraws from the Paris agreement on climate change, said Dutch Minister for the Environment Sharon Dijksma on Wednesday.

"If it is true, then today is a sad day for the world," Dijksma told Dutch media.

"I am one of those people who negotiated really hard in Paris to make the agreement possible..." she said, adding tha it would be a pity if the country withdraws from it.

Senior U.S. officials said earlier on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw from the Paris agreement which was signed last year by former U.S. President Barack Obama. During his campaign, Trump pledged to "cancel the Paris agreement".

In the G7 summit joint communique issued on Saturday, no common ground was mentioned on climate change due to the U.S. position. Trump tweeted that "I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!"

While a U.S. quit would be a "big blow", it is important to stay positive and look ahead, said the Dutch minister.

She added that she is still hopeful about what she saw last week during a trade mission in America. "Many states and cities want to continue and luckily that is possible because they have a lot of own legislative space. Thereby, the business community extensively invests in stainability, because climate also generates economic growth and jobs."