Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi played an important role in preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. He made the remarks during a press briefing in New Delhi while visiting India.

Bartoszewski said Prime Minister Modi was part of an international effort that persuaded Putin not to use nuclear weapons. He highlighted India’s influence on Russia and said Modi remains one of the few global leaders who can directly affect Putin’s decisions.

“I mentioned the role Prime Minister Modi played in stopping Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine at the end of 2022. But it’s true, Prime Minister Modi is one of the few people who actually can exert some pressure and influence on President Putin, and that is clearly something India could do to stop this conflict,” said Bartoszewski.

Russia has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and Europe since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These statements raised serious concerns across the world over the possibility of nuclear escalation.

Although Western intelligence agencies did not assess that a Russian nuclear strike was about to happen at any stage during the conflict, they concluded that Putin’s warnings were serious. They believed he had not ruled out the option of using nuclear weapons if the situation changed.

In 2024, the US intelligence community also expressed concern over the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. It said, “Russia’s inability to achieve quick and decisive battlefield wins, coupled with Ukrainian strikes within Russia, continues to drive concerns that Putin might use nuclear weapons”.

Reports have earlier suggested that these concerns led to diplomatic efforts by several world leaders. Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among those who urged Putin not to use nuclear weapons. Their engagement formed part of a wider international effort to prevent the conflict from taking a more dangerous turn.

Speaking about India’s role in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Bartoszewski said Prime Minister Modi is one of the few leaders whose views matter to the Russian President. He pointed to the long-standing ties between India and Russia, which date back to the Soviet era. He said these relations give India a unique position in global diplomacy.

“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,” said Bartoszewski.

The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister visited India to discuss stronger cooperation in defence and security. His visit focused on expanding ties beyond defence trade. Poland and India are exploring opportunities to jointly manufacture defence platforms in India. The proposal supports the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which encourages foreign companies to manufacture products in partnership with Indian firms.

During his visit, Bartoszewski held talks with Sibi George, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs. The discussions covered defence cooperation and possible joint production projects between the two countries.

Bartoszewski said Poland is interested in developing long-term defence partnerships with India instead of limiting cooperation to exports. He said the changing global security environment has increased the need for closer collaboration between the two nations.

“Given the geopolitical situation, we want to increase our cooperation in security and defence. We are talking about concrete examples of not only selling various defence platforms, but also creating joint ventures to produce something in India. We understand the ‘Make in India’ concept of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and so we would have Polish and Indian content on these platforms,” Bartoszewski told IANS.

India has already adopted similar defence production models with countries such as France and Russia. It is now working to expand this approach with more international partners. Poland’s proposal reflects its interest in becoming part of that growing network.

Bartoszewski’s remarks also highlighted India’s increasing influence in global affairs. His comments suggested that New Delhi’s diplomatic ties with Moscow continue to give it a significant role in international efforts aimed at reducing tensions and encouraging dialogue during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.