India-EU Historic FTA by Year End

"I AM AWARE it would not be easy, but I also know that the timing and determination counts and this partnership comes at the right moment for the two of us," she said in her address at an event before Friday's talks.

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"Now more than ever geopolitical context calls for decisive action," she added.

Both the EU and India face the threat of higher import duties from the US, their most important trading partner. Apart from trade, the EU and the US are at loggerheads politically. US president Donald Trump has gone to the extent of saying that "the EU was formed to s**** the US". Both sides are also at conflict on the question of resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and their relationship with Russia.