‘India and Europe have developed such a strong bond’

There is a growing perception the US is stepping back from the security of Europe and Ukraine. Security and defence cooperation is also a key part of the upcoming India-EU Summit. Your views.

- Rezaul H Laskar

I wouldn’t say we see the withdrawal of US security guarantees for Europe as of now. What we have seen is a very clear expectation from the US that Europe spends more for its own security. It’s a good argument because for many years we haven't spent as much as we could have. Europe feels under threat now and much more than it ever did. You have seen the intrusion of airspace through planes and drones everywhere, drones with lights switched on. It’s an obvious provocation that needs to be perceived as a threat. Therefore, many European countries, including Germany, have decided to spend alotmore on defence, up to 5% of GDP. We are still very convinced that the very important alliance between the US and Europe will not cease to exist in the near future. The India-EU Summit is going to be very important for two reasons. One is the free t