India and the EU are eyeing to seal by this year a free trade deal that would be the largest of its kind globally, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, asserting that the two sides must take the strategic ties to the "next level" to effectively navigate geopolitical challenges. In a keynote address at a think-tank, Von der Leyen announced that the European Union is exploring a future 'Security and Defence Partnership' with India in the mould of the pacts it has with Japan and South Korea. The top European leader explained how the world is fraught with "danger" and that the modern version of great power competition is an opportunity for Europe and India to "reimagine" their partnership. Her comments came amid increasing strain in ties between the European Union and the US over trade and tariff as well as on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "Over the last 30 years we have done a lot together. But in truth we have only been scratching the surface of the ...