NEW DELHI – A heated diplomatic row erupted between New Delhi and Warsaw after Indian Foreign Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar openly criticized Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s recent trip to Pakistan.
Sikorski’s visit marked first high-level Polish trip to region since Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Warsaw in August 2024, a journey that also took him to Ukraine. In a series of televised remarks, Jaishankar made pointed references to Sikorski’s “recent travels to the region,” clearly alluding to his October 2025 meetings with top Pakistani leaders.
During Islamabad visit, Sikorski and Pakistani officials pledged to strengthen political and economic ties, terming their cooperation as a “comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership.” But India sees the move in a sharply different light.
Indian FMdid not mince words, warning that EU nation must adopt zero tolerance for terrorism and avoid actions that could support terrorist networks near India. He also highlighted Sikorski’s familiarity with regional security challenges, noting the Polish minister’s experience as a journalist covering Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Indian minister reprimanded Sikorski over his earlier remarks on India’s Russian oil imports, calling criticism “unfair and unjustified” and accusing Warsaw of selectively targeting New Delhi.
Sikorski acknowledged shared concerns over terrorism but stirred further controversy by labeling India’s participation in Russia’s “Zapad 2025” military exercises with Belarus as threatening, exercises held near NATO borders in September 2025. He stressed that while India and Poland are “of one mind” on counterterrorism, both nations have regional concerns and security challenges, signaling that the diplomatic friction is far from over.
