India and the European Union have long viewed each other as attractive partners with personality flaws that have hobbled efforts to realise the promise of their relationship. Last week, New Delhi and Brussels appeared to set aside those misgivings and give their ties a full-throated thrust at a summit with the EU, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the bloc’s boss, Ursula von der Leyen, and other senior leaders. The two sides set a year-end deadline to finalise their free trade agreement, which has been under negotiation for almost two decades. The reason for this urgency is not hidden: its name is Donald Trump. The persistent threats of tariffs from the president of the United States of America have spooked not just stock markets but the world’s other major economies. So far, India and Europe have escaped the worst of Mr Trump’s tariff wrath but both have been placed on notice by the US president and it might be only a matter of time before they are targeted. Amid that global economic uncertainty, a strong, transparent and mutually beneficial trade agreement between New Delhi and Brussels will help ensure that a disruption in trade with the US does not dismantle India-EU economic ties. Such a deal would also send a powerful signal to the rest of the world: not everyone is giving up on free trade and globalisation.

But in many ways, the announcement that the two sides are looking to strengthen their strategic ties is as important as the plan to finally bring the FTA to life. Both India and the EU count the US as a critical partner and have long viewed it as an anchor of the post-Cold War global system. With Mr Trump shredding America’s past approach to allies and rivals alike almost daily, neither New Delhi nor Brussels can make any assumptions about how much they can count on the US as a friend any longer. Strengthening strategic ties, including in defence and security, will broaden India’s options in these arenas. Yet, the history of India-EU ties shows that plans that look good on paper often do not materialise as priorities change or tensions erupt between New Delhi and Brussels. If it is to be different this time, both sides need to focus not on promises but on delivering results that can actually make their relationship a shield against global uncertainties. For time and Mr Trump wait for no one.