Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tour to the UAE and Europe — the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy — had a multi-pronged agenda. Much of the visit had been planned last year, including the India-Nordic Summit that had to be cancelled after the 2025 Pahalgam attack and conflict. It came amid a new push for India-Europe ties that have been forged at a time of growing concern over superpower behaviour — from Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran to China’s coercive economic measures — all of which challenge the international rules-based order. The India-EFTA trade agreement, which came into force last year, and the India-EU FTA, to be ratified/signed later this year, reflect a shared desire to diversify supply chains and markets, particularly with Nordic countries, where bilateral trade with India remains below $20 billion. Finally, the visit came days after Mr. Modi’s new “austerity” push for foreign currency and energy conservation. Discussions in the UAE on long-term Strategic Petroleum Reserves, and in Europe and at the Nordic-India Summit on the “Green Strategic Partnerships”, were aimed to advance collaboration on energy security. Each of Mr. Modi’s stops included robust conversations on the Ukraine and Iran conflicts, bilateral and multilateral talks. There was also a focus on AI governance and critical mineral initiatives. The Nordic countries focused on maritime cooperation and scientific collaboration in the Arctic, which has been hit by climate change. While the visits yielded few concrete outcomes or actual trade deals, the bonhomie and awards conferred on Mr. Modi, indicated expectations of deeper India-Europe collaboration. The engagement will be strengthened as he travels in June for the G-7 outreach summit in France and a bilateral visit to Slovakia, and later this year for the India-EU FTA signing in Brussels.