EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a comprehensive free‑trade and defence cooperation agreement with India on 27 January 2026 in New Delhi. The pact, announced after the EU‑Mercosur deal, aims to double trade, gives the EU access to about $600 billion of Indian public procurement, and includes export of arms and military equipment. India, which maintains close ties with Russia, becomes the first such partner to enter a defence‑trade deal with the EU. The agreement comes amid rising US tariffs on Indian goods and stalled EU‑US trade talks, with President Donald Trump threatening additional duties for any EU stance against his Greenland ambitions. The EU‑India pact is seen as a strategic counter‑balance to US pressure and a step toward deepening Indo‑European economic and security ties.

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