https://arab.news/6svpc
At its Republic Day celebrations last month, India had as its chief guests European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. The next day, Von der Leyen cheerfully announced: “We did it, we delivered the mother of all deals.” She was referring to the finalization of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
The agreement had been under negotiation for two decades. This quick finalization in New Delhi was obviously propelled by the hostile posture of the US toward both these erstwhile friends. Over the last year, the White House has frequently threatened EU members with tariffs, consorted with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a humiliating peace.
The administration last month made aggressive statements on taking over Greenland — claims that have firmly united EU members behind Denmark. At Davos, Von der Leyen had referred to problems with the US by speaking about the need for the EU to build “a new form of European independence,” while emphasizing that Europe favored “fair trade over tariffs.”
India has also been badly treated. Chafing under India’s “failure” to credit it with ending the Indo-Pakistan conflict in May last year, the US imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian exports to the US, which included 25 percent penal tariffs due to India’s imports of Russian oil. It went on to irritate India with robust gestures of friendship toward Pakistan, including a private lunch at the White House for the Pakistani army chief.
