India, E.U. agree to sign security and defence partnership next week: Kaja Kallas

India and the European Union agreed on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) to sign a new Security and Defence Partnership covering maritime security, cybersecurity and counterterrorism, the E.U.’s highest ranking diplomat Kaja Kallas announced.

The partnership will be signed next week during the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to India, where they will be chief guests at Republic Day celebrations. The leaders will co-chair the 16th India-E.U. Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The preparations for the visit were going well, but were not without challenges, said Ms. Kallas, who will be accompanying the leaders to India.

The visit is centred around the signing of a ‘Free Trade’ Agreement (FTA), which is still being finalised.

India and the E.U. will adopt a new comprehensive strategic agenda next week, using a 2030 planning horizon, Ms. Kallas told European parliamentarians in Strasbourg. She noted that the E.U. is among India’s largest trading partners and described India as “indispensable” to Europe’s economic resilience.

The two sides worked on the joint statement and agenda mindful of the fact that the Summit “must deliver, taking into account the geopolitical landscape”, Ms. Kallas said.

Additionally, the two sides are also aiming to conclude a Security of Information Agreement, Ms. Kallas said, adding that in a dangerous world, India and the E.U. could benefit from working together.

“[The] E.U. and India are moving closer together at a time when the rules-based international order is under unprecedented pressure through wars, coercion, and economic fragmentation,” she said. Alongside the Russia-Ukraine war entering its fourth year next month, Europe has faced geopolitical shocks emanating from the White House over the last year, with U.S. President Donald Trump renegotiating the basis of the transatlantic relationship. In recent days, Mr. Trump threatened tariffs on several European countries if they did not facilitate the transfer of Greenland to the U.S.

Ms, Kallas told MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) that India and the E.U. must become more ambitious partners. “Two major democracies cannot afford to hesitate,” she said.

During the visit to New Delhi next week, the two sides plan to conclude an Memorandum of Understanding on a comprehensive mobility framework, to facilitate the movement of students, seasonal workers, researchers and highly skilled professionals, and promoting research and innovation, Ms. Kallas said.

“In the Indo-Pacific and beyond, Europe and India can help anchor stability by defending open sea lanes, strengthening maritime domain awareness and resisting coercion in all of its forms,” Ms. Kallas told parliamentarians.