The agreements and documents signed at the latest European Union–India summit, held in Delhi on January 27, 2026, elevate the bilateral strategic partnership to a qualitatively new level and reflect both sides’ ambition to give powerful momentum to their cooperation across a wide range of areas, including defense and security.
As the world’s fourth‑largest economy with the highest growth rate and potential, India has traditionally prioritized relations with the European Union as a whole and with its key partners, particularly Germany, France, and Italy. It is worth noting that EU countries account for around 17 percent of Indian exports. Today the European Union is India’s second‑largest trading partner after China, with trade volume exceeding $140 billion. By this measure, the EU outpaces the United States and Russia. The agreements reached at this EU‑India summit enable the parties to significantly enhance trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as expand collaboration in the fields of defense and security.
Breakthrough in Relations
The main stumbling block in the bilateral relations had been the nearly 20‑year‑long negotiations on concluding a groundbreaking free trade agreement. This time, a final point has at last been reached: following the final round of talks on January 27, the parties managed to initial the long‑awaited strategic document, which is expected to enter into force in 6–8 months after completing the necessary internal procedures. This most significant trade agreement in the history of bilateral relations provides for the phased reduction of tariffs on exported goods and ultimately the elimination of mutual duties on nearly €4 billion worth of trade per year. India will remove tariffs on almost 97 percent of European exports and open its vast market to agricultural and other products from EU countries. At the same time, the agreement will expand access for Indian farmers and small businesses to the EU market, effectively creating a shared economic space for nearly 2 billion people.
This major deal will grant European companies privileged access to the Indian market. The European Union, in turn, has committed to environmental cooperation and will allocate €500 million to India for this purpose. In short, the initialed document is mutually beneficial and opens broad prospects for enhancing trade and economic cooperation, which may affect the interests of China, the United States, and Russia.
Response to Washington: India and EU Strengthen Ties Amid Tariff Wars
It is worth noting that the process of finalizing the document clearly accelerated against the backdrop of American tariffs being imposed on exported goods, affecting both European partners and India. This situation particularly concerned Indian leadership, especially in light of the additional 25 percent tariffs imposed by Washington in August 2025 on Indian goods, due to New Delhi’s continued large‑scale purchases of Russian oil at significant discounts, despite American demands to the contrary. The effective tariff rate reaching 50 percent, along with the resulting strain in relations with the United States, prompted India to move closer to the Europeans—who are similarly concerned about American tariff pressure—and work toward finalizing a free trade agreement that, to a certain extent, primarily affects the interests of the United States and China.
From Trade to Security
Another significant outcome of the summit was the signing of a security and defense partnership document. This agreement provides for the strengthening of military‑technical cooperation and the implementation of joint security projects, including in the Indo‑Pacific region. The parties also reaffirmed their intention to soon conclude an agreement on the protection of classified information. This will enable the exchange of confidential data and facilitate closer cooperation in the defense industry, including potential Indian participation in European Union defense initiatives. Other areas of bilateral cooperation will include cybersecurity, counter‑terrorism, combating organized crime, and non‑proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Thus, the outcomes of the summit are intended to advance the strategic interests and dialogue platform of these two major global players, including in the context of their complex relations with Washington and Beijing.
Western Attempts: Why India Has Not Turned Away from Russia
Naturally, the Europeans’ efforts are also aimed at weakening India’s strategic partnership with Russia. During the negotiations, EU leaders sought to persuade India to join Western anti-Russian sanctions, urging the Indian leadership and companies to adhere to European directives on scaling back trade and military-technical cooperation with Russia. They, like the Americans, were particularly concerned about India’s continued large-scale purchases of Russian oil. Evidently, this situation still does not sit well with them, even though India’s oil imports from Russia have decreased by approximately 28 percent from their peak levels in recent years. Moreover, Brussels’ attempts to completely pull New Delhi to its side regarding the Ukrainian conflict were doomed to fail. They never succeeded in eliciting critical remarks from the wise Indians directed at Russia concerning this conflict. The parties, expressing concern about the current situation, called for its resolution through political means.
India does not accept any pressure on its internal or foreign policy matters. It is fully independent in these affairs and has no intention of deviating from its time-tested, consistent course of strengthening a particularly privileged strategic partnership with Russia. Yes, the Indian leadership pursues a multi-vector foreign policy and is committed to greater diversification of its trade, economic, and military-technical ties. But unlike the West, Russia consistently respects India’s national interests and develops cooperation with this great and friendly power solely on the basis of shared interests and mutual benefit. Unlike the West, Russia has never interfered in the sovereign affairs of this independent and self-reliant nation, which is highly valued and taken into account by our time-tested, reliable strategic partner.
Anvar Azimov, Diplomat and political scientist, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Ph.D in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Eurasian Educational Institute of MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
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