“If we look at what is left, it’s the most important stuff … those are exactly the same things that we were dealing with in 2012, 2013, when the negotiations derailed last time,” said Nicolas Köhler-Suzuki, associate researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute.
- Ukraine isn’t making things any easier.
While Brussels is counting on India for its diversification push, it won’t find it easy to remain a credible threat to Russia while doing more business with a country that maintains historically close ties with Moscow.
An EU official, granted anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions, conceded “one of the biggest issues where [the EU and India] have differences is Ukraine.”
The world’s most populous country sent 65 troops this month to join Russia’s annual Zapad military exercise, in which the Kremlin simulated a nuclear attack on NATO countries. At a recent summit in China, Modi held hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they approached their host, President Xi Jinping.
Trump, meanwhile, is calling on the EU to hit New Delhi with tariffs as high as 100 percent for enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It’s not all joyous music and singing and dancing. There is an acknowledgement that we need to do more to bridge gaps where they are,” the official said, referring to a communication on India the EU executive put out in mid-September.