EU chief to seek India's help in enforcing Russia sanctions during meeting with PM Modi

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will ask Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cooperation in enforcing sanctions on Russia during their meeting in New Delhi this week.

Alongside von der Leyen, other European Union officials will engage in discussions on market access and India’s high tariffs on products such as cars and wine as part of ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement, an EU official said during a virtual background briefing on Tuesday.

“India and the EU will review progress on their negotiations for a comprehensive free trade deal while working to outline a new strategic agenda, coinciding with Europe’s efforts to reduce economic dependence on China,” a senior official said.

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Accompanied by the European Union College of Commissioners, von der Leyen will visit India for two days starting Thursday, holding talks with Modi and senior Indian ministers.

The visit aims to finalise the framework of a new strategic agenda, which is expected to be announced during the upcoming India-EU summit, scheduled to take place in the second half of this year in India.

President Leyen and Prime Minister Modi will be taking stock of where we are on the negotiations and how we can push them forward, a senior EU official said.

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The EU is looking at an “ambitious” as well as a “commercially meaningful” free trade agreement that addresses tariffs and non-tariff barriers, he said.

With inputs from agencies