NEW DELHI: The Europeans and Americans may have been vocal against India not taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict but many of their leaders have made a dash for New Delhi of late. That shows India’s rising clout, says Velina Tchakarova, Director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) in Vienna, Austria. Speaking to StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale on ‘The Gist’, Velina said European leaders have a tendency of wanting everything in ‘one package’ but now things ‘don’t work like they used to in the 20th century’. “If you have got to forge partnerships, you also need to understand the goals and objectives of the partner you seek”. Batting for the India-EU free trade agreement that has been dusted off after a years-long hiatus, Velina was of the opinion that the European Union and India can work together in many spheres, including trade, connectivity, etc and can use the partnership to leverage a third way.
