EU vows to forge closer ties with India despite 'problematic' Russia factor

The European Union has taken a new step to strengthen and expand ties with India at a time when traditional alliances and time-honoured principles are under severe strain, prompting an intense search for alternative partnerships.

In a five-pillar strategy unveiled on Wednesday, the European Commission outlined a comprehensive vision for closer bilateral relations encompassing an ever-widening range of topics, including sustainable fuels, green hydrogen, critical raw materials, artificial intelligence, advanced microchips, cybersecurity, crisis management, defence policy and legal migration, paving the way for an EU-India summit in early 2026.

"Closer EU-India cooperation is more important than ever," the document reads.

The timing of the presentation was noteworthy: just this week, a small contingent of Indian troops took part in large-scale joint military exercises with Russia and Belarus, known as Zapad 2025, near the border with Poland and Lithuania.

India's participation followed the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) earlier this month, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen sharing candid moments with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping.

Both events reflected New Delhi's enduring friendship with Moscow, which the West has long seen with suspicion. Brussels has accused India of providing a back door for sanctions circumvention, most notably by refining and reselling Russian crude.

But amid geopolitical turmoil and economic uncertainty, the EU has concluded it has more to gain than to lose from deeper cooperation with India, the world's most populous country and a major player in the highly strategic Indo-Pacific region.

"We are living in these very turbulent times, and we need to build partnerships. And, you know, the question is always whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody, so we try to fill it ourselves," High Representative Kaja Kallas said during the presentation.

Kallas faced repeated questions about the Russia factor, which she admitted was "problematic" and a source of disagreements within the College of Commissioners.

"If you want closer ties with us, then why participate in exercises that are an existential threat to us?" she added, referring to Zapad 2025. "We are not taking this lightly."

Yet, Kallas refrained from issuing an ultimatum that would force New Delhi to pick a side.

"Whether it's possible to completely decouple India from Russia, considering their history as well, I don't think we have illusions regarding this," she told reporters.

The diplomatic momentum faces a crucial test in the negotiations for an EU-India free trade deal, which the two sides have committed to concluding by the end of the year.

EU-India commerce has boomed in recent years, but continues to be saddled by friction points. For Brussels, it's protectionism. For New Delhi, it's climate and labour laws.

Donald Trump appears to be a powerful motivation behind the talks. Both the EU and India are grappling with the painful effects of his unilateral tariffs: the former has been saddled with a lopsided agreement, and the latter has been slapped with 50% tariffs.

The tariff fallout, however, opens a valuable window of opportunity: as US-India relations plunge to an all-time low, EU-India relations are on the rise.

"We are fully aware of the enormous potential for our mutual trade," said Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner for Trade, standing next to Kallas. "It's about strategic choices. And clearly, India is a strategic partner, from any angle you would look at it."

Besides the free trade deal, the bloc has set its sights on another coveted deliverable: a formal Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), which, if agreed, would be the third of its kind with an Asian nation, after Japan and South Korea.

Countries with an SDP can participate in common procurement under SAFE, the EU's €150 billion programme to boost defence spending.

Broadening cooperation with Europe fits with India's multi-allignment foreign policy, which has allowed the country to develop seemingly contradictory alliances based on national interests and position itself as an influential voice in the Global South.

For Brussels, those credentials can offset New Delhi's links to Moscow and Beijing.

"Multi-alligment goes both ways," said a senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Sometimes, India acts against anti-Western sentiment, as a moderate voice that doesn't subscribe to the anti-Western agenda. That's a useful thing."