European Union to pursue trade deal with India to reduce its ties to Russia

The European Union (EU) plans to relaunch trade talks with India in an attempt to give the South Asian nation a viable alternative to diversify away from Russia, according to a senior official familiar with the plans.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is on a two-day visit to India.

In addition to trade, the EU will pursue a technology council with India that could include discussions on the general data protection regulation, social media and broader digitalization efforts, said the official, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

Before embarking on the visit to India, the European Commission President on Saturday said both India and the 27-nation EU want to take the relationship to the next level. Leyen will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on further ramping up two-way engagement in areas of trade, connectivity, energy, climate change and security.

Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as India-EU cooperation in the Indo-Pacific are also expected to figure in the discussions.

"I'm off to New Delhi as we celebrate 60 years of EU-India relations. 60 years during which we built a solid friendship. And a cooperation that we now both want to take to the next level. Looking forward to my discussions with @narendramodi,” Leyen tweeted.

The EU is India’s third-largest trading partner and accounts for 62.8 billion euros ($67.8 billion) worth of trade in goods.

The EU and US both are trying to establish closer ties with India, which is the world’s top buyer of Russian weapons, which it says it uses to deter aggression from neighbors Pakistan and China.

On the first day of her two-day visit to India, Leyen took part in an interaction at The Energy and Resources Institute campus called TERI Gram, where she asserted the need to work together towards a green, sustainable and equitable future.

The EU president said youngsters were the advocates to fight climate change, save the planet and develop solutions.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are at the top of the political agenda of the European Union (EU) and India. Observing that the young should raise their voice for climate action, Leyen said, “Youth are the advocates to fight climate change as well as to fight for the planet. But they are also the ones who develop solutions.” The event – Youth for a Greener Future – was organised by TERI, in collaboration with the EU.