- By Shubham Bajpai
- Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:13 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Poland lauds PM Modi's role in preventing Ukraine war escalation.
- Modi influenced Putin against using tactical nuclear weapon.
- Poland now understands India's Russian oil import reasons.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski on Tuesday lauded India's role in preventing the Russia-Ukraine war from escalating further, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the few leaders in the world who can exert pressure and influence Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Bartoszewski said, "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 went on to say that in late 2022, PM Modi played a key role in persuading Russia against using a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukraine.
Bartoszewski emphasised that appeals for restraint from non-hostile nations like India carry greater weight.
He also mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping in the list of leaders whose voice matters in Moscow. "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.
Poland, which was critical of New Delhi's purchase of oil from Russia, also signalled a change in its stance, indicating the reformed approach to be more practical.
Speaking about it, Bartoszewski said that Warsaw and New Delhi have moved past their differences over Russian crude oil imports.
#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 acknowledged that the previous approach was based on a deduction that Indian imports were supporting Russia's wartime economy. However, he added that Warsaw now understood why New Delhi chose to buy the oil because of the significant price advantage.
He added that the two countries have a better understanding of each other's positions now, which has left the issue no longer a major sticking point.
"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 fuelling the Russian war economy. So we had a different view on that," he said.
Putin claims pressuring India useless
Notably, weeks before, Putin had asserted that pressuring India over its ties with Moscow would be useless.
Praising New Delhi's independent foreign policy, the Russian President had said, "Everyone has understood that putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India, which has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations."
"It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from. We don't see any negative consequences," Putin said, adding, "We are glad that India is developing its relations with all countries it thinks important for its national interests."