Modi-Putin ties 'may be helpful' for war talks, says Polish deputy minister

Poland's Secretary of State and Deputy Foreign Minister, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski said on Wednesday that the relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "may be helpful" at some stage of negotiating the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He however clarified that he believes only United States President Donald Trump holds any leeway with President Putin, saying that it would be better to "one person and see what happens"

"I think a mediator is welcomed, as much as (Russian) President Putin does talk to Prime Minister Modi so that may be at some stage very helpful, but at the moment I think who has any leeway with President Putin is President Trump, I think it is better to leave it for the time being to one person and see what happens," the polish minister told ANI.

The comments by Bartoszewski were made on the sidelines of the Raisaina dialogue being held in New Delhi.

When asked about the Israel-Gaza war, he condemned the recent airstrike of Israel in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and an eventual two-state solution.

"We as Poland believe in a two state solution there, and we would like ceasefire and peace negotiations and eventually leading to a two state solution for which we have been striving for decades, so it is a regrettable loss of life," he said.

Earlier on March 18, the Polish deputy foreign minister said that PM Modi played a role in persuading the Russian President in not using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Speaking to ANI, Bartoszewski stated that Putin had "threatened" to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, but calls from India and China influenced his decision to reconsider.

"President Putin was threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine. The Americans sent lots of messages for him to not think about it... That didn't necessarily persuade him at first. He received two phone calls- one from the President of China, Xi Jinping, and one from PM Modi, telling him that neither China nor India independently approve of the war," Bartoszewski said.

Russia has also agreed to a temporary halt on striking energy infrastructure of Ukraine, after speaking with US President Donald Trump.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said they discussed key elements of a peace agreement and that the ceasefire process is now underway.

Trump's post read, "My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was a very good and productive one. We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine.