India's prime minister says it has reached a free trade deal with the EU

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that India and the European Union have reached a free trade agreement to deepen their economic and strategic ties.

The accord, which touches a whopping 2 billion people, was concluded after nearly two decades of negotiations. It was dubbed the “mother of all deals” by both sides.

It is one of the biggest bilateral engagements on commerce. The timing comes as Washington targets both India and the EU with steep import tariffs.

“This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe. It represents 25% of the global GDP and one-third of global trade,” Modi said while virtually addressing an energy conference.

The deal comes at a time when Washington is targeting both India and the EU with steep tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships.

Modi was scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later Tuesday to jointly announce the agreement.

India has stepped up efforts to diversify its export destinations as part of a broader strategy to offset the impact of higher U.S. tariffs.

The tariffs include an extra 25% levy on Indian goods for its unabated purchases of discounted Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%.

The deal gives the EU expanded access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, helping European exporters and investors to reduce their reliance on more volatile markets.

Bilateral trade between India and EU stood at $136.5 billion in 2024-25. The two sides hope to increase that to about $200 billion by 2030, India’s Trade Ministry officials said.

“Ultimately, the agreement is about creating a stable commercial corridor between two major markets at a time the global trading system is fragmenting,” said Indian trade analyst Ajay Srivastava.

The EU is still reeling from the aggressive approach of its once-stalwart ally across the Atlantic. There’s a widespread sense of betrayal across the 27-nation bloc from U.S. President Donald Trump's onslaught of higher tariffs, embrace of far-right parties, and belligerence over Greenland.

Brussels has accelerated its outreach to markets around the world: Over the past year, von der Leyen has signed deals with Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and South America under the catchphrase “strategic autonomy,” which in practice is akin to decoupling from a U.S. seen by most European leaders as erratic.

“We are showing a fractured world that another way is possible,” she posted on X after arriving in India on Sunday.

Associated Press writer Sam McNeil contributed from Brussels.

European Council President Antonio Costa, center left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet officials upon their arrival at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, welcomes European Council President Antonio Costa, left and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before their meeting in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, welcomes European Council President Antonio Costa, left and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before their meeting in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 27,2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, welcomes European Council President Antonio Costa, left and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before their meeting in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 27,2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges at the International Criminal Court ruled on Monday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial, after postponing an earlier hearing over concerns about the octogenarian’s health.

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs when in office, first as the mayor of a southern city and later as president.

Lawyers for the 80-year old had argued Duterte was in frail health and his condition was deteriorating in the court’s detention unit.

Duterte was arrested in March and was set to appear in court in The Hague in September. That hearing was delayed after a pretrial panel of judges granted “limited postponement” to give the court time to determine “whether Mr Duterte is fit to follow and participate” in the proceedings.

Following an assessment by a panel of medical experts, judges found that Duterte “is able effectively to exercise his procedural rights and is therefore fit to take part in the pre-trial proceedings.”

The hearing has now been reschedule for Feb. 23.

The panel included experts in geriatric neurology and psychiatry. According to court filings, Duterte underwent cognitive testing, as well as mental and physical examinations.

Duterte's lead lawyer, Nick Kaufman, said he was disappointed in the decision and would seek to appeal. The defense was “denied the opportunity to present its own medical evidence and to question, in court, the contradictory findings of professionals selected by the judges,” he said.

Rights groups and families of victims hailed Duterte’s arrest in March. Two organizations supporting the families of suspects killed in Duterte’s crackdown hailed the court’s decision as “a resounding victory for justice and accountability.”

In a joint statement, SENTRO and the CATW-AP said, “The ICC’s ruling reaffirms a simple but powerful truth: No one, not even a former head of state, is above the law.”

According to a filing last month, ICC prosecutors claim Duterte instructed and authorized “violent acts including murder to be committed against alleged criminals, including alleged drug dealers and users.”

Prosecutors announced in February 2018 that they would open a preliminary investigation into the so-called war on drugs overseen by Duterte when he served as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president.

In a move that human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability, Duterte, who was president at the time, announced a month later that the Philippines would leave the court.

Judges rejected a request from Duterte's legal team to throw out the case on the grounds that the court did not have jurisdiction because the Philippines had withdrawn from the court. Countries can’t “abuse” their right to withdraw from the Rome Statute “by shielding persons from justice in relation to alleged crimes that are already under consideration,” the September decision says.

Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported to up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

FILE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the troops during the 82nd anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines on Dec. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)