Jaishankar raises tariffs, Ukraine conflict pressure and cross-border terrorism during talks with Polish foreign minister
India on Friday raised strong objections with Poland over what it described as the “selective and unfair targeting” of New Delhi for its trade ties with Moscow, even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar issued a firm warning against any support—direct or indirect—to Pakistan on matters related to cross-border terrorism.
The concerns were conveyed during Jaishankar’s meeting with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in New Delhi, where both sides reviewed the expanding India–Poland Strategic Partnership and exchanged views on major regional and global developments.
Welcoming the Polish delegation, Jaishankar said the meeting was taking place at a time of “considerable churn” in global affairs, underlining the need for countries across regions to candidly exchange perspectives. India and Poland elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Warsaw in August 2024, and the current talks focused on reviewing the Action Plan 2024–28.
The two ministers discussed cooperation in trade, investment, defence, security, clean technologies, and digital innovation, but geopolitics—particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict—dominated the conversation.
‘Selective targeting is unfair and unjustified’
Jaishankar said he had “candidly” shared India’s position on Ukraine with Sikorski on multiple occasions, including meetings in New York and Paris, and reiterated the same in New Delhi.
“While doing so, I have also repeatedly underlined that the selective targeting of India is both unfair and unjustified,” Jaishankar said, referring to tariff threats and other pressure tactics aimed at India over its energy and trade engagement with Russia.
India has consistently maintained that it supports dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict and has resisted efforts to push it into bloc-based alignments. New Delhi has also objected to what it views as attempts to influence its sovereign foreign policy choices through economic or political pressure.
Zero tolerance for terrorism, warning on Pakistan
The External Affairs Minister also raised India’s long-standing concerns over cross-border terrorism. Addressing Sikorski, Jaishankar noted that the Polish leader was well-acquainted with South Asia’s security challenges.
He stressed that India expects “zero tolerance for terrorism” from its international partners and cautioned against any actions that could “help fuel the terrorist infrastructure in our neighbourhood”—a remark widely interpreted as a reference to Pakistan.
“Poland should display zero tolerance for terrorists and not help fuel terrorist infrastructure in our neighbourhood,” Jaishankar said, in comments seen as linked to Poland’s remarks on Kashmir during a bilateral visit to Islamabad in October 2025.
India has intensified diplomatic outreach in Europe in recent years to highlight Pakistan’s track record on terrorism financing and safe havens for extremist groups, seeking consistency in international positions on the issue.
Poland echoes concern on tariffs, terrorism
Responding to India’s concerns, Sikorski acknowledged the “unfairness of selective targeting through tariffs” and warned that such measures could create wider turbulence in global trade.
He also said Poland had faced acts of arson and attempted state-linked sabotage, including attacks on railway infrastructure, and agreed on the need for stronger cooperation to counter trans-border terrorism.
The meeting took place amid growing bilateral ties. Poland is one of India’s largest trading partners in Central Europe, with bilateral trade nearing USD 7 billion and Indian investments crossing USD 3 billion. Both sides expressed confidence that the strategic partnership would continue to deepen, even as India clearly articulated its red lines on geopolitical pressure and terrorism.
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