UK PM Boris Johson said a trade deal could take UK-India trade to “a whole new level”.
Johnson targets reaching an agreement in principle, not signing a full deal. Experts say any agreement with India this year is likely to be a precursor to a full agreement, with talks still at a relatively early stage. Johnson’s two-day trip had been delayed by Covid .Speaking after the meeting, Johnson said India was “an incredible rising power in Asia” and deepening trade was a priority.
These trade talks are held among criticism in the UK of about human rights violations in India as Muslim shops were demolished in Gujarat just before Johnsons visit and India’s position on Russia.
India has had to walk a diplomatic tightrope over Ukraine recently as it tried to balance its ties with Moscow and the West. Delhi’s first statement in the UN Security Council (UNSC) did not name any country directly but it said it regretted that calls from the international community to give diplomacy and dialogue a chance had not been heeded. It, however, stopped short of criticising Russia and before the UNSC voted on a draft UN resolution to condemn the invasion.
Delhi faced calls from Russia, the US and Ukraine “to do the right thing”. Ukraine and Russia even issued public appeals for Delhi to take a clear stand. India chose to abstain from the vote but a careful reading of its statement suggests that it did go a step further and indirectly asked Moscow to respect international law.
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