As the conflict in Ukraine entered a new phase following Kyiv’s deep inroads into Russia’s Kursk region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached neighbouring Poland’s capital Warsaw Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Sebastian Duda Thursday. Modi will head to Kyiv later Thursday where he will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — this is the first visit to Poland by an Indian Prime Minister after 45 years, and the first to Ukraine since it gained independence in 1991. After reaching Warsaw, Modi, in a post on X, said, “Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations.” Earlier in the day, he said, “My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership.” “From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine,” he said. “I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict,” he said. “As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region,” he said. Modi said he was confident that his visit to Warsaw and Kyiv “will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead”. He is expected to travel from Poland to Kyiv on a ‘Rail Force One’ train that will take around 10 hours. His visit to Kyiv comes a month-and-a-half after his trip to Moscow where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was criticised by Zelenskyy. Diplomatic relations between India and Poland were established in 1954, leading to the opening of the Indian Embassy in Warsaw in 1957 and Polish Embassy in New Delhi in 1954. During WWII, between 1942 and 1948, over 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur. Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, provided shelter to over a thousand Polish children in his state. Many others found refuge in a giant camp in Kolhapur. Modi will lay a wreath at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial that was unveiled on October 31, 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja, Ochota district in Warsaw. He will also lay a wreath at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino. The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Indian Troops of the 4th Indian Division fought in the battle. Ahead of Modi’s visit, Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “Our bilateral trade is substantial. And it’s of the order of US$6 billion, which makes Poland India’s largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Indian investments into Poland are estimated at around US$3 billion. And Polish investments in India are around US$1 billion. A number of Indian companies have an active business presence in Poland. They are engaged in a range of sectors, from IT to pharmaceuticals to manufacturing to farm vehicles to electronics, steel, metals and chemicals.”
