Michael Kugelman, Kate Sullivan de Estrada on Trump, Putin & India-UK trade deal & more | HTLS 2025

Michael Kugelman and Kate Sullivan de Estrada, at HTLS 2025, said Trump’s tariff shock “squandered trust” and pushed U.S.-India ties into their worst crisis in years, putting the onus on Washington to repair the relationship and “win back” India’s goodwill. Kugelman argued a focused U.S.-India trade deal could be an important confidence‑building measure, even as Delhi keeps close energy ties with Russia, while Sullivan de Estrada highlighted how the parallel India-UK trade agreement shows New Delhi diversifying partners and using economic deals to deepen political understanding with Western capitals.