Updated on: Jan 27, 2026 10:42:09 AM IST
Chief Guest President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen look at an artist playing flute during the ‘At Home’ reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of the 77th Republic Day, in New Delhi on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also present.
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Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed on Monday that India and the EU have successfully concluded negotiations and are set to announce the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Tuesday, January 27.
Top developments to know:
India-EU deal announcement today: According to commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal, India and the EU have successfully concluded negotiations and the formal announcement of the trade agreement will be made today, January 27.
What EU chief said on R-Day: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was one of the chief guests at the grand Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26, had shared a clip from the ceremony on X, with the caption: “A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit”.
When will the deal take effect? While India and the EU have finalised negotiations and will make the formal announcement today, the trade deal will take effect sometime next year, the commerce secretary earlier said. “Legal scrubbing of the text will take 5-6 months; formal signing will be done post that,” Agrawal was quoted as saying.
Trump aide’s reaction to trade deal: India and the EU finalised the trade deal despite negotiations on trade between India and the US still underway. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent fumed over the development in a news interview on Sunday. He said that European countries are financing a war “against themselves” by purchasing refined Russian oil products from India.
Follow all the updates here:
Jan 27, 2026 10:41:41 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday confirmed that India and the EU have signed an agreement, one he hailed as the “mother of all deals”.
“Yesterday a big agreement was signed between the European Union and India. People are calling this the mother of all deals. This agreement will bring major opportunities for the public in India and Europe. This is a perfect example of a partnership between two major economies of the world…This agreement represents 25 per cent of the global GDP and 1/3rd of global trade,” PM Modi said.
Jan 27, 2026 10:09:34 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: The signing of the Security and Defence Partnership is a milestone, said Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, as a European delegation met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and chief of the Indian tri-services on Tuesday.
“The signing of the Security and Defence Partnership is a milestone, and we can build on that. There is so much more we can work together on in the multilateral fora, as well as bilaterally, to further develop defence cooperation. I really look forward to our discussions today and further cooperation in the future,” Kallas said.
Jan 27, 2026 10:02:28 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: Ahead of the 16th India-EU Summit scheduled for later today, several members of the European Commission met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
“Thank you very much for welcoming us and yesterday, Republic Day was quite an experience. Thank you for that as well…It was a proud moment to see that our operations were also a part of this parade,” said Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, at the meeting.
Jan 27, 2026 9:47:48 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: A day ahead of the summit where the historic India-EU deal will be announced, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shared glimpses of the Delhi Republic Day parade, where she was one of the chief guests.
“A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit,” Von der Leyen said ahead of the summit.
Jan 27, 2026 9:41:06 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: The free trade pact between India and the EU will boost engagement and cooperation between the two sides. It also assumes significance against the backdrop of new fissures in ties between Europe and the US.
Notably, team Trump appears displeased with the finalisation of the India-EU deal. Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary and a key leader in Trump’s administration recently said that the US made “bigger sacrifices” to try to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict than the Europeans did.
“We have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” Bessent said.
Jan 27, 2026 9:22:44 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: Not just the announcement of the historic India-EU FTA, a lot more is on the agenda at the summit today, to be attending by PM Modi and key European leaders.
The meeting between PM Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, will broadly focus on trade, defence and security cooperation, climate action, critical technologies, and reinforcing the rules-based global order, reported news agency ANI.
Jan 27, 2026 9:19:33 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: While restricted discussions on the trade deal and its announcement will take place at the 16th India-EU Summit on Tuesday, an India-EU Business Summit Forum will also take place on the side, reported ANI.
Jan 27, 2026 9:09:09 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa during the 16th India-EU Summit today. The two sides have concluded negotiations on the free trade agreement and will make a formal announcement today.
Jan 27, 2026 9:02:01 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: In an interview to ABC News, Trump aide and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that the US has “sacrificed” a lot more than the Europeans have in terms of taking steps to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end. His remarks came ahead of India and the EU announcing a Free Trade Agreement on January 27.
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Jan 27, 2026 8:30:06 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in India for the 16th India-EU Summit set to take place today. She was one of the chief guests at the grand Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26, and had shared a clip from the ceremony on X, with the caption: “A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit”.
Jan 27, 2026 8:19:24 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: US President Donald Trump joined many other world leaders on Monday as he extended Republic Day wishes to India. The President said that India and the US shared a “historic” bond.
“On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the government and people of India as you celebrate your 77th Republic Day. The United States and India share a historic bond as the world’s oldest and largest democracies,” Donald Trump said in remarks shared by the US embassy in India in a post on X.
His remarks come amid ongoing trade negotiations between India and the US in the backdrop of the steep 50% US tariffs on Indian imports. The remarks also precede a historic free trade agreement between India and the European Union, to be announced today.
Jan 27, 2026 8:07:38 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: The India-EU trade deal is looking “balanced and forward-looking” for the Indian side, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday, reported news agency PTI. According to the official, India and the EU have concluded negotiations and a formal announcement of the FTA will be made today. Legal scrubbing of the FTA text is underway and the endeavor will be to complete the processes and sign the pact at an early date, he said.
Jan 27, 2026 7:55:37 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent was visibly miffed in an interview as he reacted to India and the EU finalising a trade deal. Bessent, who has always backed Trump’s tariffs moves on India, said: “We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India.”
He also said that European countries were “financing” a war against themselves by purchasing Russian products from India. “Just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves,” he said.
Jan 27, 2026 7:38:45 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: With just hours left for the announcement of a historic free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the EU, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen heaped praise on ties with India. “Long live India. Long live the friendship between Europe and India,” she tweeted, sharing glimpses of the Republic Day parade in Delhi where she was invited as chief guest.
Jan 27, 2026 7:32:21 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal termed the free trade agreement (FTA) “the mother of all deals” the country has signed so far. Before her arrival in India for the India-EU Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also used the same term for the deal.
“I will travel to India. There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals,” she had said in an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Jan 27, 2026 7:19:33 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: European Council President Antonio Costa, who was one of the chief guests at the Republic Day parade in Delhi yesterday, said that India and the EU can together act as “strong providers of stability, protectability and reliability” on the global stage. His remarks came a day ahead of the India-EU Summit, in which the two sides will officially announce a trade agreement.
Our trade agreement, I think, is a very important geopolitical stabiliser and a showcase of how it’s possible to protect international rules-based trade,” Costa, who traces his roots to Goa, said in an exclusive interview to HT.
Apart from Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also participate in the summit.
Jan 27, 2026 7:08:22 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: The EU is among India’s top trading partners, alongside the US and China, with total goods and services trade exceeding $190 billion in 2024-25. The EU ratifying a trade deal with India would give big boost to Indian exports, such as textiles and jewellery, which are currently bearing the brunt of US President Donald Trump’s steep 50% tariffs.
The FTA’s immediate focus is on goods, services and trade rules, which can be a big gain for India.
Jan 27, 2026 6:54:11 AM IST
India-EU Summit LIVE: The India-EU trade deal will take effect sometime next year, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal earlier said. “Legal scrubbing of the text will take 5-6 months; formal signing will be done post that,” Agrawal was quoted as saying.
Jan 27, 2026 6:39:08 AM IST
India-EU summit LIVE: Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed on Monday that official level negotiations concluded for the free trade agreement.
“Official level negotiations are being concluded, and both sides are all set to announce the successful conclusion of FTA talks on 27th January,” Agrawal said.
Jan 27, 2026 6:35:00 AM IST
India-EU summit LIVE: After announcing the successful conclusion of negotiations on Monday, India and European Union are set to announce a free trade agreement today, a pact that both sides have referred to as “historic.”