‘Obstacles to our cooperation’: EU warns India over Russian oil purchase, military exercises with Moscow

The European Union on Wednesday (Sep 17) said that India’s close ties with the bloc may be hampered by New Delhi’s Russian oil purchases and participation in military drills with Moscow. This comes as the EU pushes to finalise a trade deal with India and strengthen bonds in areas like defence amid global tensions brought by US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, India and the US held discussions in New Delhi on Tuesday (Sep 16) to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) after Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

“Ultimately, our partnership is not only about trade, but also about defending the rules-based international order,” EU foreign policy chief Kallas said, as she unveiled the ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ aimed at strengthening commercial ties between the EU and India.

“Participating in military exercises, purchases of oil – all these are obstacles to our cooperation when it comes to deepening the ties,” Kallas said. She also acknowledged that while the EU did not expect that New Delhi would “completely decouple” from Russia, the two sides call for talking through their issues.

Earlier this month, India took part in Russia’s Zapad (West) joint drills with Belarus and Iran. The military exercises took place near NATO borders.

Last week, US President Donald Trump urged the EU to impose hefty tariffs on India and China over Russian oil purchases to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, India and the EU are also engaging in talks to finalise a free trade agreement by the end of this year.

The development comes as India and the United States are holding talks to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement. On Tuesday (Sep 17), representatives from the US and India held negotiations in New Delhi, marking the first time representatives from both nations met after Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.