Polish deputy PM abruptly ends interview to cap tense visit to India

Polish deputy prime minister Radoslaw Sikorski ended a tense visit to India on Tuesday, with Pakistan and Russia dominating the bilateral engagement.

Mr Sikorski, who is also the foreign minister, was visiting for the first time since Poland and India elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in 2024 during prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Warsaw.

The three-day visit, aimed at strengthening that partnership, was dominated by Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar’s objection to Warsaw’s ties with Pakistan and by Poland voicing concerns about Delhi’s oil imports from Russia.

At a televised meeting with his counterpart on Monday, Mr Jaishankar conveyed India’s frustration at being singled out for criticism and punitive action for buying Russian oil and expressed concerns about Poland’s renewed ties with Islamabad.

The Indian minister said he wanted to discuss some of Mr Sikorski’s “recent travels to the region”, referring to his visit to Pakistan in October last year. The visit took place a few months after the rival South Asian neighbours fought a limited four-day war that pushed the region to the brink of a nuclear conflict.

“Poland should display zero tolerance for terrorism and not help fuel the terrorist infrastructure in our neighbourhood,” Mr Jaishankar said.

He reminded Mr Sikorski, a former journalist who covered the Afghanistan war in the 1980s and spent time in Pakistan, that he was “no stranger to the region” and was “certainly familiar with the longstanding challenge of cross-border terrorism”, the Hindu reported.

Mr Jaishankar also chided the visiting diplomat over previous criticism of India buying Russian oil. “In the recent past, both in New York last September and in Paris this January, I have candidly shared with you our views on the Ukraine conflict and its implications,” he said. “While doing so, I have also repeatedly underlined that the selective targeting of India is both unfair and unjustified. I do so again today.”

Mr Sikorski responded that he agreed “the selective targeting is not limited to tariffs” and that “there have been other forms of selective targeting”.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Sikorski said his conversation with Mr Jaishankar was “frank”. His side also had concerns, however. “India took part in the Zapad exercises in Russia that we find threatening,” he said.

Zapad 2025, the joint Russian-Belarusian strategic military exercises, took place in Belarus from 12 to 16 September last year.

The Polish minister, however, appeared disgruntled when a reporter asked him about “cross-border terrorism from Pakistan”.

Mr Sikorski was speaking with local broadcaster NDTV about the Ukraine war but the conversation turned awkward when he was asked about Pakistan. He abruptly ended the interview.

India’s unusually blunt remarks and the tense exchange between the foreign ministers comes as Warsaw continues to voice disappointment over Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil, which it views as “financing Vladimir Putin’s war machine”.

The South Asian country is reeling from a 50 per cent US import tariff – a 25 per cent reciprocal levy and a further 25 per cent linked to Russian oil purchases – while facing additional challenges from Donald Trump’s administration as it negotiates a trade deal.

In spite of the friction that came to surface during Mr Sikorski’s visit, India and Poland enjoy relatively stable relations, with bilateral trade rising 200 per cent over the past decade and the two sides planning to increase direct flights as well as cooperation in trade and technology.

The Polish foreign minister’s visit is one of many high-level European engagements with Delhi this month. Germany’s chancellor and France’s national security adviser already visited and the EU’s top leadership was expected to arrive for the Republic Day parade and the EU-India Summit next week.