‘No conflict of interest’: Tusk, Modi discuss trade expansion, defense and India’s bid for Ukraine-Russia war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk during a meeting in Delhi on October 22, 2026 | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

India and Poland have no “conflict of interest”, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who hailed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as a “beacon of hope” at a time of “political uncertainty and instability” after talks here on Thursday (Oct 22, 2026). Mr Tusk, who is visiting as Prime Minister for the first time since 2010, discussed expanding India-Poland cooperation in a number of areas, including space, transport, renewable energy and technology, and also spoke about India’s “four-point proposal” to help mitigate the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

While the two sides have not signed any agreements following bilateral talks, India and Poland have been aiming to double their mutual trade from a low of $6 billion, which is expected to increase after the signing of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement in December this year.

“We are confident that companies from both countries will work together to develop trusted supply chains for the world and achieve our common goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030,” Mr. Modi said, adding that he was pleased that Mr. Tusk was accompanied by a large business delegation to engage with Indian businesses in Delhi and Bengaluru in areas such as rail transport, clean coal and mining, where Poland has developed its technologies.

Mr. Modi congratulated Poland for joining the group of trillion-dollar GDP nations.

Mr Tusk expressed support for India’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2028-29 and a permanent seat on the reformed UNSC and hoped for India’s support for Poland’s ambitions to join the G-20. US President Donald Trump has invited Mr Tusk to this year’s G-20 in Florida, where Poland is expected to present its request.

“The great Polish Solidarity revolution was based on non-violent action and we were very inspired by your tradition and your history,” Mr Tusk said, comparing India’s principles of non-violence from the independence struggle to the Polish People’s Solidarity (Solidarnosc) movement in 1980, which saw the end of communist rule in the country.

“We appreciate the global role you play as prime minister in a global context, and it is a sign of hope in times of destabilization, political uncertainty and instability. Someone like you, the prime minister of such a powerful country as India, is a beacon of hope for us all,” added Tusk.

India has not publicly disclosed details of a four-point proposal that Modi’s government is discussing with counterparts in Moscow and Kiev to strike a deal between Russia and Ukraine that would halt attacks on civilians, allow grain and energy exports from both countries across the Black Sea and end the targeting of ships and sailors, including many Indians, who have been killed in the four-and-a-half-year war. Senior officials denied that India was a “broker” in the conflict, but said it was in close contact with both sides on a specific proposal and the government hoped to hear from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides soon.

India and Poland also announced a “Defence Industry” dialogue on security, technology and hardware cooperation. However, no specific defense deals will be signed between the two countries until they sign the Agreement on Mutual Protection and Exchange of Classified Information, which is still under negotiation and could not be finalized in time for the visit, officials said. Specifically, the deal will seek to allay Poland’s concerns about technology leaks to Russia given the Indo-Russian defense partnership, as well as India’s sensitivity to Poland’s defense relationship with Pakistan.

“Both sides emphasized the importance of the agreement on mutual protection and exchange of classified information and expressed the expectation that it will be signed soon,” said a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.

The Polish side expressed support for India’s membership in a more inclusive, reformed and expanded UNSC and reiterated its support for India’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for the period 2028-29. The joint statement contained a strong paragraph condemning all acts of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam last April in the strongest possible terms. India and Poland announced a counter-terrorism dialogue during the talks.

Published – 22 Oct 2026 13:25 IST