By Ashish Singh
The Russia-Ukraine crisis is in its third year. Both sides have suffered heavy losses. With little hope, many countries have tried to mediate and failed. India has also started to talk to both parties (and other countries) to bring positive results through dialogue and diplomacy. The Indian PM along with the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and a few others have been traveling extensively to find out the possibility of a deal between Russia and Ukraine. India has its priorities, which include strengthening its position among the community of nation-states. However, coming from a non-aligned background, and having decent relations with Russia and the West, India might hold the key to a successful negotiation.
PM Modi visited Warsaw on 21-22 August 2024. India and Poland discussed the possibilities of increased trade, investment, science, technology, culture, defence, security and people-to-people cooperation. Polish Prime Minister Tusk said in the press conference that India can resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The visit by Modi was historic. After Morarji Desai, he is the only Indian PM to have travelled to Poland after about 45 years. The Indian media has noted his visit as an example of India’s increased participation in matters of Europe and the Middle East. Let’s look at how the Polish media has covered Modi’s trip.
Fakt Gazeta Codzienna, the leading daily paper in Poland, published an analysis of Modi’s visit to Warsaw. Kamil Jaworski, a political correspondent at the Fakt, reported that several Polish politicians criticised the fact that Modi was invited by the PM. Still, he was welcomed at the airport by the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs. However, Jaworski’s report confirmed via a diplomatic expert, Dr Janusz Sibora, that this was an appropriate welcome. Modi was welcomed by the Polish PM Donald Tusk at the latter’s office. Dr Sibora added that India perceives Europe through the lens of Brussels, Paris, and Berlin. India-Poland political relations have not been very lively, because India sees Europe as a whole as the European Union, asserted Dr. Sibora. The second report by Piotr Drabik translates – Tusk has never had a guest like this before. “Historic Character”. Explaining the Tusk-Modi meeting, Drabik writes that India and Poland have now raised their relations to the level of strategic partnership. Quoting Tusk, Drabik adds that both leaders agree upon India’s serious and positive role in attempts to a peaceful, just, and quick end to the war. Drabik further cites Tusk that India and Poland both understand the importance of respecting “rules, borders, territorial integrity, the sovereignty of states, rule of law”. Furthermore, India’s journey in democratic practices was also appreciated by the Polish PM. Drabik quotes Modi as well, saying that India and Poland are going to cooperate not only in the public sectors but also in private sector, and that clean coal technologies, green, renewable energy sources, or artificial intelligence are other common priorities for both our countries. Drabik’s report added Modi’s meeting with the Polish President Andrzej Duda, as well as captains of Polish Kabaddi teams and famous Indologists of Poland.
Taking a different approach, Olszewski writes for Wyborcza that even though Modi has shown his readiness to personally engage in a peaceful, just and quick end to the war in Ukraine, one must remember that India is among those countries that may not support the war but are also not doing anything to end it. Further adds Olszewski that India is playing a different type of diplomatic game, highlighting that Russian exports to India have increased fivefold in the first year of the war. India is also concerned with increasing Sino-Russia ties. Olszewski concludes that “Prime Minister Modi’s friendly face and Indian politeness should not mislead us: behind them is a skillfully and ruthlessly conducted profit and loss calculation, in which the interests of the country invaded by the criminal regime have a third-rate significance.” [translated from Polish]
A similar critical stand has been taken by another newspaper Rzeczpospolita, where India’s friendship with Russia has been questioned.
Grzegorz Kuczynski in his piece for Gazeta Pomorska expands on the question of strategic partnership by writing that there are possibilities of genuine synergy between the two countries and that Poland can participate in modernising Indian military technologies plus equipment. Kuczynski asserts that India seeks Poland’s assistance in strengthening its relations with the EU.
Warszawa Naszemiasto covered step-by-step plans of Modi’s visit to Poland, as well as told its readers about possible traffic diversions due to the movement of the Indian PM in the city. It also added that members of the Hindu community were present to welcome Modi everywhere.
It seems that Polish media has managed to decipher everything. You know, listening to Zbigniew Preisner’s tracks takes you to another level. Gleaning through media reports, it was difficult for me to resist playing this soothing music I was introduced to about a decade ago.
Now the question for me is to choose between Podwójne życie Weroniki (The Double life of Veronique) and Trzy kolory: Niebieski (Three Colors: Blue).
(Ashish Singh is a social and political scientist.)
