New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a one-day state visit to Poland on 21 August en route to Ukraine, as he seeks to deepen ties with the European Union country where a Defence Attache was appointed earlier this year after decades.
This visit will be part of his two-nation trip in which he will be going also to Ukraine.
This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland, after Morarji Desai in 1979. Before that both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had visited the country.
Government sources told ThePrint that Modi will be in Warsaw and will hold bilateral talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The sources said that besides the bilateral meeting, he will visit the memorials of the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur who provided shelter to thousands of Polish refugees during the Second World War.
He will also visit the tomb of the unknown and the memorial for the Battle of Monte Cassino. Poles and Indians were part of the large allied coalition in the 1944 major battles of Tobruk and Monte Cassino.
The Battle of Monte Cassino was one of the toughest battles fought by Indian soldiers during World War II and Sepoy Kamal Ram of 3/8 Punjab Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross.
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Why ties dipped after 1979 & what’s plan now
Poland, which was part of the Warsaw Pact, 1955, was close to the erstwhile USSR. However, ties with India went to the backburner after Communism fell, and Warsaw moved on to creating closer relations with the US.
However, both countries maintained bilateral relations but not to the extent it was before in 1979.
“Both countries had different priorities and followed that. One can say that the ties have remained dormant. However, it is hoped that PM Modi’s push will give it the required push and take bilateral ties to a higher level,” a source explained.
It was only earlier this year that India appointed a Defence Attache to Poland after years.
The sources said that Poland has a huge manufacturing base, adding that India is interested in holding talks in this sector.
Moreover, Poland is going through a massive military modernisation and is one of the key backers of Ukraine.
Poland is among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine and will spend 4.12 percent of its GDP on defence this year, double the alliance’s guidelines of 2 percent, according to estimates published by NATO.
On 12 August, Poland signed a deal with US defence giant Raytheon to procure 48 Patriot missile launchers. Between 2022 and 2023, Poland’s defence budget grew in real terms by 46 percent. In 2025, Warsaw plans a further 10 per cent increase in its defence budget.
India sees an opportunity to understand and learn from Poland’s defence push and ability to set up manufacturing policies.
However, Poland has not been successful in recruiting the desired number of personnel into its military despite ambitious recruitment plans. It is said that Warsaw has not been able to fully staff its newly formed military units – meaning they have not helped increase operational capability, says an article by Chatham House.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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