Poland says PM Modi helped deter Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a key role in preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine in late 2022, said Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski adding that the Russian leader pays attention to what PM Modi tells him.

Speaking to reporters, Bartoszewski further stated that PM Modi is among the few people who can put pressure on Putin adding that it was what India should do to stop the Russia-Ukraine war.

Poland praises PM Modi's role

"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," he said.

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"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very respected and very well-known world statesman, 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," added the Polish leader as quoted by ANI.

Call to influence Putin

Bartoszewski also backed India’s stand in the West Asia conflict stating that it was the correct one in view of New Delhi’s energy security requirements.

"Because you are a big country, an important country, and you benefit from free access to goods, including oil, and you depend very much on the oil and gas from the Gulf. Poland still maintains contact with Iran... We informed them that our preferred solution is a diplomatic one. So we do the same thing as Prime Minister Modi. We try to talk reason, but to moderate effect, I would say," he added.

Backs India's West Asia stance

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has continued since February 2022. Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum last month, Putin described India as "a great country" and backed its independent foreign policy amid Western criticism over ties with Moscow.

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"We are glad that India is developing its relations with all the countries," he said. Referring to US pressure on New Delhi, Putin added, "Putting pressure on Narendra Modi is detrimental to international relations."

He also credited PM Modi's leadership for India's rapid economic growth and said Russia and India share a special privileged strategic partnership.