New Delhi: Poland unequivocally stands with India on the question of terrorism, Polish ambassador to India, Piotr Antoni Świtalski, said in an exclusive interaction with ThePrint in New Delhi Wednesday, even underlining that Polish drones were used by the Indian military during Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan last year.
Referring to the joint statement issued in October 2025 during Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski’s visit to Islamabad, which said that conflicts, including Kashmir, should be resolved “in full respect of the principles of international law and the UN Charter”, the envoy said it had been “misinterpreted”.
The October statement seemed to indicate Warsaw’s support for potential international mediation efforts. India has maintained that differences with Pakistan will only be solved bilaterally.
The ambassador denied the suggestion that there was a subsequent chill in India-Poland ties.
“On the question of terrorism, the Polish stand on Pakistan and other issues, I think it was misinterpreted, unfortunately, because I can tell you from the direct context, we have full understanding with India on these issues. There is no disagreement,” he said.
Poland had earlier also run a public campaign against Russia’s energy purchases. In New Delhi, it was seen as “selective targeting” of its energy policy. What followed was an unusual rebuke from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar this January during the visit of Sikorski, who is also the Polish Deputy Prime Minister, to India. Jaishankar asked Warsaw to show zero tolerance for terrorism and avoid fuelling destabilising narratives in the region.
Świtalski insisted that Poland’s position had not shifted. “We should be faithful to the facts,” he said. “Read this (October) statement again. You will notice that all we did as Poland and the Polish delegation was listen to their statements. The joint statement reflects the fact that the Pakistani side said this.”
He also rejected suggestions that Poland’s outreach to Pakistan implied tolerance of anti-India acts. “The only link you can establish between Poland and what you call terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan,” he said, “is that Polish drones were used by the Indian Army to destroy this infrastructure.”
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‘Want to sell & buy Indian weaponry’
Recalling the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the envoy noted that he had been in Srinagar the night before. “It was a mere chance that I didn’t go to Pahalgam,” he said. “So, I know how you feel. We have full empathy for India.”
“There is no disagreement,” he said. “Our stand on condemning terrorism, including the one committed against India, is very strong. Every time a terrorist attack happens in India, we will condemn it.”
He then spotlighted Poland’s historical support for India. “In all your conflicts with Pakistan, Poland was on your side,” he asserted.
“Poland was the second country to recognise the independence of Bangladesh in 1971,” he added. “We didn’t wait for the United Nations, which I believe is a very strong statement.”
While Poland maintains diplomatic and commercial ties with Pakistan since “they are a legitimate member of the United Nations”, the diplomat drew a sharp distinction in Warsaw’s regional priorities.
“The exclusive place of India in our foreign policy is that India is the only country in South Asia where we would like to make business in the military sphere,” he said. “We want to sell and buy Indian weaponry and military systems. Unlike with any other country of the region, including Pakistan. And that is a statement which is, I think, in political terms, quite strong.”
Sikorski’s India visit ‘very constructive’
Ambassador Świtalski described Sikorski’s India visit as “very constructive and very successful”, despite the rebuke from Jaishankar, characterising the talks between the two foreign ministers as “businesslike and very friendly”. Differences, he acknowledged, do exist, particularly over the Russia-Ukraine war, but they are openly discussed.
“The visit of our deputy prime minister, minister of foreign affairs, I consider very constructive and very successful. I was present at the talks between minister Jaishankar and minister Sikorski, they were very businesslike and very friendly,” he added.
“They talked like old friends and I believe they are old friends. There is very good chemistry between them. Of course, when you talk like friends, in any conversation between friends, you allow yourself to be frank.”
“Nobody wants to hide the fact that on this particular topic (Russia-Ukraine war) we have somewhat different opinions,” he said. “Although on a general note, we agree. Both India and Poland want this war to end as soon as possible.”
The envoy noted that Poland’s experience with the war has been direct. Since Russia’s invasion, more than two million Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland, with more than one million still residing there, mostly women and children. The strain on schools and social services has been significant.
At the same time, Poland understands India’s concerns about terrorism, said Świtalski, detailing alleged Russia-backed sabotage in Poland, including attempted railway bombings, arson at a major Warsaw shopping mall and drone incursions into Polish airspace.
“There is no good terrorism or bad terrorism,” he said. “We condemn terrorism unequivocally and without exception.”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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