European Commission President ursula von der Leyen reacts next to European Union High Representative for foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja kallas ahead of her address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
India and the European Union agreed on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) to sign a new Security and Defence Partnership covering maritime security, cybersecurity and counterterrorism, the E.U.’s highest ranking diplomat Kaja Kallas announced.
The partnership will be signed next week during the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to India, where they will be chief guests at republic Day celebrations. The leaders will co-chair the 16th India-E.U. Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The preparations for the visit were going well, but were not without challenges, said Ms. Kallas, who will be accompanying the leaders to India.