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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday described the newly concluded India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a “strategic choice” that will create one of the world’s largest trading zones, combining two economic blocs representing 2 billion people and 25% of global GDP. Image Source: Indian PM NaMo Speaking at the EU-India Business Forum alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, von der Leyen called the agreement a “new era” for global trade that prioritizes “cooperation over fragmentation.”  The FTA, which will lower tariffs, simplify customs processes, and provide stable market access, comes after nearly two decades of negotiations and is expected to unlock significant economic opportunities for both sides. “European companies already employ more than 3 million people in India. In ten years, trade in goods between Europe and India has nearly doubled to €120 billion.  Now this agreement will unleash ev...

India and Canada signed a joint statement to strengthen strategic cooperation in the energy sector during India Energy Week 2026, held in Goa. The agreement marks the first high-level participation by a Canadian cabinet minister, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Timothy Hodgson, at the forum.  File Photo of Canadian PM Mark Carney; Via: Indian Tech and Infra The move renews the India–Canada Ministerial Energy Dialogue and underscores both countries’ shared focus on long-term energy security, trade diversification, and clean energy transition. The development follows directives from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister during their meeting at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June 2025. Both leaders had emphasized the need to restart senior ministerial and working-level engagements. In a joint statement, India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and his Canadian counterpart reaffirmed their countries’ complementary energy ...

India and the European Union formally concluded negotiations for a historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the 16th India–EU Summit in New Delhi on January 27, 2026. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa during the EU leaders’ official visit to India. The FTA marks the largest and most ambitious trade deal ever signed by India, covering over 99% of Indian exports by trade value and establishing preferential access to the European market for a broad range of goods and services. Image Source: Kaja Kallas The agreement follows years of negotiations, which resumed in 2022 after being suspended in 2013. It aims to integrate the world’s fourth-largest and second-largest economies, together accounting for 25% of global GDP, and create a combined market of two billion people.  The FTA is designed as a modern, rules-based framework that provides certainty for businesses, ...

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with ambassadors from all 27 European Union countries ahead of the high-level state visit by European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later this month.  The visit will coincide with India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations and the 16th India-EU Summit, where both sides are expected to finalise a historic free trade agreement and deepen cooperation on security and strategic matters. Image Source: EAM Jaishankar In a post following his meeting with EU envoys, Jaishankar described the conversation as an opportunity to take stock of a rapidly evolving global environment.  “Spoke to them about the current state of the world with volatility and instability as the new normal,” he wrote on X.  “Made a case for stronger India-EU relations that will: derisk the world economy by cooperating on resilient supply chains; reassure the international community by providing public goods...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a keynote address at the World Economic Forum to deliver a blunt assessment of the geopolitical moment, declaring that the post-war international rules-based order has collapsed and calling on middle powers like Canada to confront the new reality with clarity and resolve. Image Source: Erik Solheim on X Speaking under the theme “Principled and Pragmatic: Canada’s Path,” Carney warned that the world had entered an era where the strongest states no longer feel constrained by international law or multilateral institutions, using economic integration as a weapon and coercive tool. “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said. He argued that middle powers are not helpless in the face of rising great power rivalry, but must stop “living within the lie” of a functional rules-based system.  Borrowing from Czech dissident Václav Havel’s 1978 essay The Power of the Powerless , Carney likened current global compliance with dysfunct...

The European Union and India are poised to sign a landmark free trade agreement during the 16th India-EU Summit in New Delhi on January 27, a deal expected to create a combined market of two billion people and account for nearly 25% of global GDP.  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the development at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, calling the agreement “the mother of all deals.”  Image Source: Pan European Foundation She said the pact would give the EU a first-mover advantage with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and reflect a strategic pivot toward Asia in light of deepening trade uncertainty with the United States. Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are scheduled to travel to India later this week to serve as chief guests at Republic Day celebrations and co-chair the summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Talks for the free trade agreement — first launched in 2007 and suspended in 2...

European leaders have condemned US President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland, warning that the continent stands at a critical juncture as Trump doubles down on his vow to bring the Arctic island under US control.  Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Trump of "useless aggressivity" and warned against "new imperialism or new colonialism," after the US president said there was "no going back" on the Greenland takeover. Image Source: Louis Duclos on X Trump has threatened 10% tariffs on key European economies—including France, Germany, the UK, and Scandinavia—unless they withdraw opposition to US control over Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.  In a provocative social media post, he shared digitally altered images depicting the US flag planted in Greenland, declaring the island a “US territory est. 2026.” Macron criticised the use of trade threats as leverage against territorial sovereignt...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to New Delhi with a gesture of personal diplomacy that underscored the strength of India-UAE ties. Marking the visiting leader’s third official trip to India since assuming office, the two-hour visit was characterised by high symbolism, strategic continuity, and growing cultural affinity. Image Source: PM NaMo Modi personally received the UAE President at the airport, a rare protocol reserved for a handful of India’s closest international partners.  Referring to Sheikh Mohamed as “my brother” on social media, the Prime Minister said the visit reflected the importance the UAE attaches to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India.  Images of the two leaders travelling together from the airport, exchanging greetings and sharing a private conversation, further underlined the close personal rapport between them. Following their arrival, Modi hosted Sheikh Mohamed and his...

India formally launched its BRICS 2026 Chairship in New Delhi on January 13, with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiling the official logo, theme, and website.  Framed around the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” India’s tenure marks the 20th anniversary of the BRICS grouping and comes at a moment of expanding membership and heightened geopolitical complexity. EAM Jaishankar launched preparations for BRICS India 2026 The logo, which incorporates the national colors of all BRICS members and centers around the traditional "Namaste" gesture, was described as a symbol of unity, inclusivity and collaborative intent.  According to the External Affairs Minister, the design reflects India’s approach to blend tradition with modernity, while projecting BRICS as a forum of diverse but convergent interests. Unveiled alongside the logo, the BRICS 2026 website — brics2026.gov.in — will function as a central platform for information...

India and Germany significantly upgraded their strategic partnership this week with a wide-ranging bilateral engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, resulting in 27 outcomes across defence, energy, technology, education and migration.  This marked Merz’s first official visit to India and Asia since taking office, and came as both nations confront an unstable global order that has prompted a recalibration of partnerships rooted in democratic resilience and technological sovereignty. Sabarmati Ashram stands as a powerful reminder of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. Via: PM NaMo Chancellor Merz’s choice to begin his Asia diplomacy with India was framed by both governments as a signal of trust and alignment, with Modi describing the visit as “a strong testament” to the relationship.  The two leaders met in Ahmedabad on January 12, where they jointly participated in symbolic events such as a visit to Sabarmati Ashram and the International Kite ...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni projected a careful balance between major powers during her New Year’s press conference on 9 January 2026, positioning Italy as a pragmatic actor navigating intensifying US-Russia tensions.  While the US military action in Venezuela drew strong condemnation from much of the international community—including sharp statements from India and UN leadership—Meloni refrained from aligning unequivocally with Washington. Instead, she focused on protecting Italian national interests and reaffirmed a preference for multilateral diplomacy. Image Source: GreenpeaceItalia Responding to questions about the continued detention of Italian nationals in Venezuela, Meloni confirmed that her government had worked “daily” over the past 400 days using “political, diplomatic and intelligence channels.”  She welcomed the unilateral decision by Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez to release Biagio Pilieri and expressed “confidence” about further releases....

✍️ Written by Saket Suman In a development likely to intensify global scrutiny over energy trade during wartime, a new dataset analyzed by German NGO Urgewald reveals that European Union member states funneled an estimated €7.2 billion to Russia in 2025 alone through imports from the Yamal LNG project.  The findings, backed by Kpler shipping data and released today, show that 76.1% of Yamal LNG exports, roughly one in every seven ships docking at European LNG terminals, were destined for the EU. File Photo; via FNNG Alliance This revelation carries sharp geopolitical consequences. With the EU having committed to a full ban on Russian LNG by 2027, the 2025 data illustrates a contradiction between stated policy and actual practice.  Despite a reduction in overall volumes, the EU’s proportional dependence on Yamal gas has deepened, and it casts doubts on Europe’s enforcement of sanctions amid Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In an exc...

India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to France and Luxembourg from January 4–9, 2026, comes at a time of significant global upheaval. US military action in Venezuela has intensified global debate over sovereignty, legality, and great power behavior.  Jaishankar’s engagements across Europe are positioned to firmly underline India’s commitment to a multipolar world order, strategic autonomy, and a rules-based international system rooted in the UN Charter. EAM Jaishankar with Prime Minister Luc Frieden of Luxembourg. Via: MEA In Paris, Jaishankar participated in the first-ever India–Weimar Triangle format—bringing together France, Germany, Poland, and India—marking a notable shift in European geopolitical outreach beyond the Atlantic alliance. The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, emphasizing the urgency for “bridges between centers of stability,” made it clear that India's inclusion was deliberate and timely: France holds the G7 presidency, ...

The Indian National Congress, India's main Opposition party, has issued a sharp rebuke of the United States’ military intervention in Venezuela by calling it a violation of international norms and a threat to global stability.  In an official statement posted by the party’s Foreign Affairs Department, the Congress expressed "grave concern" over what it described as “unilateral actions” undertaken by the United States in the Latin American nation over the past 48 hours.  Image Source: Kharge on X The party emphasized that such actions “transgress the settled principles of international law” as established in the United Nations Charter and other international treaties. The statement stressed the importance of respecting national sovereignty and peaceful coexistence, warning that bypassing these principles without explicit United Nations sanction risked returning the world to “primordial rules of statecraft.”  It underscored that the will of the Venezuelan people must remain...

New Delhi has joined a growing international chorus urging restraint and diplomacy following the dramatic U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas this weekend.  In official statements issued over two consecutive days, India expressed "deep concern" over the developments and reaffirmed its support for the safety and well-being of the Venezuelan people, while advising Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to the country. Foreign Minister Jaishankar's file photo via MFA Russia The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an official travel advisory on January 3 , urging Indians already in Venezuela to exercise extreme caution, limit movements, and remain in close contact with the Indian Embassy in Caracas. Emergency contact details, including a WhatsApp-enabled phone line, were provided for consular assistance. A follow-up press release on January 4 further underlined India’s call for al...

Australia has joined the growing list of nations responding to the United States’ military operation in Venezuela , in which President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured and flown out of the country.  In a measured statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized the need for restraint, dialogue, and a commitment to democratic principles as the region grapples with the fallout of the sudden and unprecedented removal of Venezuela’s long-standing leader. Image Source: Anthony Albanese “The Australian Government is monitoring developments in Venezuela,” Albanese said via his official social media account. He called on all parties to avoid escalation and to support regional stability through diplomacy.  While not directly addressing the U.S. operation , the Prime Minister made clear that Australia maintains serious concerns about the situation in Venezuela, particularly the need to uphold human rights and democratic freedoms. Australia has not formall...