Von der Leyen said during a New Delhi visit that the bloc was considering a defense and security partnership with India. The EU is aiming to achieve a free trade agreement with New Delhi ahead of possible US tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in an attempt to revive and expand economic ties. The return of Donald Trump to the White House, tensions with China and economic sanctions on Russia have prompted Brussels to push for deeper trading ties with other economies.

India and the European Union will try to seal a trade deal during this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

India and the EU must take their strategic ties to the "next level" in an era of great power competition and geopolitical turmoils and the relationship has the potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this century,

European Commission Commissioners on Friday arrived at the Hyderabad House venue in the national capital onboard a bus powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, which was developed and operated in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in India on Thursday, aiming to strengthen commercial and diplomatic ties with the world's most populous country. The EU and India are seeking to expedite a long-delayed free trade agreement,

Highlighting the need to bolster cooperation between new Delhi and Brussels in the areas of digital technology, Artificial Intelligence and defence, EU President Ursula von der Leyen termed India as a "pillar of certainty" for Europe in an "increasingly uncertain world".

A top European Union official on Friday highlighted the 20-year steady relationship between India and the EU, and said that both parties are ready to take the relationship to next level, amid a fundamental change in global dynamics.

Von der Leyen is in India with 22 members of the 27-strong EU College of Commissioners for the first such visit to a non-European nation since she got a fresh mandate last year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed the the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen as she arrived at the Hyderabad House in the national capital for bilateral talks.The President of the 27-nation bloc is on a two-day bilateral visit to India,

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi for the first visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India. She began her visit by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat,