India’s Modi urges efforts to end Ukraine war after talks in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine during a visit to Poland on Thursday, pledging India’s support and saying that no conflict can be solved on a battlefield.

“We support dialogue and diplomatic effort” for the restoration of peace and stability “as soon as possible,” Modi said following talks with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Tusk said that India could play an important role in bringing an end to the war being waged on Ukraine by India’s strategic partner, Russia, on the other side of Poland’s eastern border.

“I am very glad that the prime minister has confirmed his readiness to personally engage in bringing about a peaceful, just and speedy end to the war,” Tusk said.

He added that “history has taught our nations how important it is to respect rules, borders, territorial integrity, sovereignty of states and the rule of law.”

Sitting on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union, Poland has a high level of concern about the two-year-old war across its eastern border, and has offered political, humanitarian and defense support to Ukraine.

Modi and Tusk met for talks on security, the war and invigorating bilateral ties. The two leaders said that the visit, which marks 70 years of official bilateral relations, opened doors to cooperation in the IT, security and defense industries.

Later, the Indian leader met with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda.

Ahead of his visit, Modi said Poland was India’s key economy partner in Central Europe.

An agreement was signed to facilitate the mobility of specialized workers between the two countries.

According to figures cited by the Embassy of India, the total value of bilateral trade increased from $1.95 billion to $5.72 billion from 2013-2023, with India’s exports accounting for a majority.

Then-Indian President Pratibha Patil visited Poland in 2009, and Tusk, during his first term as prime minister, paid a visit to India in 2010.

On Friday, Modi travels to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy.

Kyiv chastised Modi for a visit to Moscow last month, during which he met and hugged President Vladimir Putin. Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the meeting as a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts.”