Is India-EU FTA a response to Trump's 'weaponisation of trade'? Experts decode

In this news bulletin, Gaurav Sawant leads a discussion on the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and its implications for global trade dynamics. The panel, featuring Professor Scott Lucas, Professor Brahma Chellaney, Ambassador Yash Sinha and Siddharth Zarabi, analyses the deal as a strategic response to the 'weaponisation of trade' by the Donald Trump administration.

Siddharth Zarabi noted, "This deal is a nail in the coffin of President Donald Trump's trade strategy vis-a-vis India," highlighting how it undermines US attempts to sanction India over Russian oil imports. The experts discuss how the FTA, alongside a new security and defence partnership, serves as a 'democratic counterweight' to both China and US trade coercion.

The programme explores India's 'strategic diversification' and its 'Goldilocks moment' in the global economy, while also addressing potential ratification risks within the European Parliament and the broader realignment of middle-power economic blocs, including Canada.