Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) welcomes European Council President Antonio Costa (L) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before their meeting in New Delhi, India, January 27, 2026 (Manish Swarup/AP)
EA on News 9 and PTV World: Trump’s 50% Tariff Punishment of India
On Tuesday, the European Union and India — the world’s second- and fourth-largest economies — agreed a trade deal reducing almost all tariffs, with many of them eliminated.
“We did it, we delivered the mother of all deals,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the pact “historic” and “strategic”.
I joined Indian and Pakistani outlets on Tuesday to assess the significance.
Watch Pakistan TV from 8:23
I assess the deal in the context of the declining relationship between India and the US, amid the Trump Administration’s punishing tariffs which sabotaged trade links.
Watch India Today
I joined a panel with Indian experts in economics, diplomacy, and politics, considering the deal’s contribution to a realignment of regional and global politics amid Trumpian chaos.
I note that the agreement also has important dimensions for security, including maritime cooperation, cyber-security, and counter-terrorism arrangements.
#IndiaEUTradeDeal || Is the trade pact evolving into a strategic security tool—beyond economics—to counter not just the US but also China’s manufacturing and supply-chain dominance?@ScottLucas_EA, Professor of US and International Politics, explains.#IndiaFirst |… pic.twitter.com/gg6Z9O5g1C
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 27, 2026
#IndiaEUTradeDeal || “You have an unpredictable president and a unilateral American administration. It does not believe in alliances, and that made the European Union and India rethink,” says @ScottLucas_EA, Professor of US and International Politics, Clinton Institute, on the… pic.twitter.com/R6481SFueg
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 27, 2026
