India and the European Union will try to seal a trade deal during this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to India was described as unprecedented and landmark. During the visit, she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed various topics including trade,

India and the EU must take their strategic ties to the "next level" in an era of great power competition and geopolitical turmoils and the relationship has the potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this century,

Highlighting the need to bolster cooperation between new Delhi and Brussels in the areas of digital technology, Artificial Intelligence and defence, EU President Ursula von der Leyen termed India as a "pillar of certainty" for Europe in an "increasingly uncertain world".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday promised to push to get the long-pending free trade agreement between the European Union and India done this year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and India's PM Narendra Modi pose for photographs as they stand in front of a hydrogen fuel cell bus before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen experienced India's advanced UPI digital payments system during her visit. She was impressed by its efficiency. PM Modi had earlier highlighted UPI's significance by comparing daily transactions in India to the EU's population.