Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shares his perspective on India’s handling of Trump’s tariffs, which have sent shockwaves across the country’s industries. Speaking at the NDTV 2025 World Summit on Friday, October 17, 2025, Sunak highlighted how India has found “common ground” in the face of global trade challenges.
He also discussed the significance of the recently concluded India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and highlighted its potential to strengthen bilateral trade relations between the two countries, PTI reported.
Relations between Delhi and Washington have come under severe strain after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50%, including a 25% additional duty on India’s purchase of Russian oil.
Indian national interest in a protectionist world
When asked if India was handling the issue of US tariffs in the right way, the former British Prime Minister gave his full support to the national strategy and said, “Every country will work in its own national interests and that is absolutely right.
Sunak acknowledged the current global business environment, noting that “the world is becoming more protectionist.” In this context, he saw India’s move to sign a major trade deal with the UK as an incredibly positive sign of willingness to sit down with countries, find common ground and create mutually beneficial deals while sending important signals to the world.
He noted that India is likely to look for other opportunities as it is “in talks with the EU” just as the UK is seeking other deals. He further emphasized the importance of deep international relations based on trust. “If the relationships are purely transactional, you get less out of them,” Sunak said.
“Everyone is thinking only of immediate gains and different countries react in different ways,” he said during the summit.
Significance of India-UK Free Trade Agreement
Rishi Sunak expressed his satisfaction with the India-UK Free Trade Agreement he initiated and said, “It’s great to see the signing of the trade agreement that I started working on and I’m really happy that the new government has concluded it.”
He also highlighted the success of recent high-level delegation visits, noting that “Modi is coming to the UK and the UK Prime Minister is visiting India with a large trade delegation”.
Sunak explained that trade beyond the deal means two important things in a world that is becoming more protectionist. “The signing of a deep trade agreement sends a positive signal globally while also communicating to businesses, civil society, cultural organizations and academic institutions that the relationship matters…”
