Russia-Ukraine War: Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski has praised India’s role in efforts to prevent further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war, saying Russian President
Vladimir Putin pays close attention to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi says and that New Delhi is among the few countries capable of influencing Moscow.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Bartoszewski described PM Modi as a globally respected leader with longstanding ties to Russia and said that India’s role remains crucial in preventing further escalation between Moscow and Kyiv.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very well-known world statesman, who is very respected, and India has a long-standing relationship with the Russian Federation and, before that, with the Soviet Union as a non-aligned nation. President Putin actually pays attention to what Prime Minister Modi tells him,” he said as quoted by the news agency.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Secretary of State of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, says, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very well-known world statesman, who is very respected, and India has a long-standing relationship… pic.twitter.com/R38wQurE9u
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026
He also recalled PM Modi’s role in late 2022, claiming the Indian Prime Minister had helped dissuade Russia from using tactical nuclear weapons during the conflict.
“Prime Minister Modi is one of the few people who can actually exert some pressure and influence on President Putin, and that is clearly something India could do to help stop this conflict,” he said.
The Polish leader also noted that calls for de-escalation from leaders who are not viewed as hostile to Russia carry greater weight.
“Everybody is against escalation, not only India with Prime Minister Modi but also China’s Xi Jinping. It’s important, especially when it comes from countries that are not seen as hostile to Russia. India’s role here is crucial,” he said.
Bartoszewski also said that Warsaw and New Delhi have resolved their differences over India’s imports of Russian oil and now better understand each other’s positions.
He said that Poland had earlier expressed concerns that India’s purchases of discounted Russian crude were helping finance Russia’s war economy. However, he added that both countries understood each other’s positions and the issue is no longer a significant point of discussion.
“I think we were critical about India buying Russian oil. We understood the economic reason for that because it was at a heavy discount, about 40 per cent less than the market price. We understood that, but it was fueling the Russian war economy. So we had a different view on that,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On India’s stance on the West Asia conflict, Secretary of State of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, says, “India’s position is the right position because you are big country, an important country, and you benefit from free… pic.twitter.com/EjUjB48pBb
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2026
Bartoszewski’s remarks come weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin praised India’s independent foreign policy and said attempts by other countries to pressure PM Modi over India’s ties with Moscow would be “useless.”
