Brussels (TDI): The European Union’s top diplomat has cautioned that efforts to deepen ties with India could face obstacles due to New Delhi’s growing energy and defense links with Moscow.
The EU, which is negotiating a trade agreement with India while also seeking cooperation in defense and technology, signaled that India’s imports of Russian oil and its participation in joint military drills with Russia may complicate progress.
“Our partnership with India goes beyond commerce. It is about safeguarding the international order built on rules and principles,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said while presenting a new strategy in Brussels. “But continued oil purchases and military exercises with Russia pose challenges to advancing this relationship.”
Even so, Kallas admitted that the EU does not expect India to completely break away from Moscow, stressing that dialogue is ongoing.
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India, alongside other Russian partners such as Iran, recently took part in Moscow’s Zapad exercises with Belarus, held partly near NATO borders. At the same time, India has become one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian crude, saving billions of dollars while offering Moscow a critical outlet after Western sanctions shut it out of European markets.
US President Donald Trump has pressed Brussels to impose heavy tariffs on Indian and Chinese goods to squeeze Russia’s war chest, but European officials suggest that while sanctions on Russian entities in India are possible, punitive tariffs on New Delhi are unlikely as trade negotiations continue.
Read More: India Must End Russian Oil Purchases: US Adviser
Despite friction over Moscow, the EU and India hope to conclude a free trade deal by the end of 2025. Trade between the two has nearly doubled in the past decade, making the EU India’s largest commercial partner. A high-level summit is expected early next year.
