European Donald on a mission to mould ties with India

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives in India on October 21 with the aim of recasting the strategic partnership announced in 2024 into meaningful action in trade, technology and security.

His three-day visit, which will include talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on October 22, and business programmes in New Delhi and Bengaluru, comes at a time when Europe is reassessing its security and economic partnerships, and India looks to widen its room for manoeuvre in an unsettled world.

For Warsaw, India is a large market and too consequential to remain peripheral. Poland has become the largest economy in central and eastern Europe and a central player in European security. Its position on NATO's eastern flank, support for Ukraine and defence investment have raised its profile in Brussels. It also wants to diversify markets, secure industrial supply chains and find new outlets for competitive manufacturers. India offers scale, a growing industrial base and an independent voice in international affairs.


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For New Delhi, Poland provides a way to deepen engagement with Europe beyond its traditional western centres and cultivate a partner with weight inside the European Union. The two governments need not agree on every geopolitical question, but frank discussion on Ukraine, Russia and Indo-Pacific would clarify expectations.

During the Second World War, India's princely states gave refuge to Polish civilians displaced by the conflict. Maharaja Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar welcomed Polish children at Balachadi in Gujarat; Kolhapur also sheltered refugees. The "Good Maharaja" remains a cherished figure in Poland, giving bilateral ties a human connection rare in diplomacy. Formal relations were established in 1954.

Bilateral trade between India and Poland reached $6.36 billion in 2025, according to Indian official figures. India's main exports to Poland include pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, engineering goods, vehicles and electrical machinery, while Poland's exports to India include industrial equipment, chemicals, metals and specialised manufactures. Yet, trade remains modest relative to both economies. Warsaw will want more Polish products and investment to reach Indian customers. New Delhi will press for partnerships that go beyond finished-goods exports to create local production, technology transfer and skilled employment.

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Polish investment in India is estimated at roughly $600 million. It includes tangible, job-creating ventures: Can-Pack manufactures metal packaging at Aurangabad; TZMO makes hygiene products and operates in Dindigul, Bengaluru and Mumbai; Maflow supplies automotive components.

Polish firms have also pursued opportunities in mining equipment, clean technologies and transport. Solaris, the Polish electric-bus maker, has entered the Indian market through cooperation with JBM Auto. These investments remain modest, but provide the relationship with an important industrial base. India will look to use the visit to attract more Polish capital into electric mobility, rail, waste management, advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

The investment story also runs in the other direction. Indian investment in Poland exceeds $3 billion, with Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Wipro among the prominent employers. Indian firms have built technology operations and manufacturing links, employing thousands of Polish professionals.

Bengaluru should be more than a second stop for the strong business delegation accompanying Donald Tusk. The India-Poland Business Forum scheduled there on October 23, alongside meetings with technology and space-sector stakeholders, offers a chance to give the partnership an innovation focus. The city's software ecosystem, start-ups, aerospace capabilities and research institutions can connect with Polish strengths in digital services, industrial engineering, cybersecurity and space applications.

Useful outcomes would include company agreements, university links, and joint proposals in satellite applications, green energy, mining equipment, food processing, artificial intelligence, cyber resilience and advanced manufacturing. For example, Poland's largest space company, ICI, is expected to ink agreements in space surveillance capabilities utilising synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.

AGH University of Krakow and International Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru will ink an MoU on skilling, training, startup linkages and education focusing on artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

New Delhi's political talks should set the direction; Bengaluru should test whether businesses can deliver.

The visit should produce commitments with deadlines: A trade-and-investment roadmap towards the stated $10 billion trade ambition; a mechanism to address market-access barriers; an investment pipeline in manufacturing and clean technology; and, under the working group on defence industry, advancing joint defence manufacturing, technology development, resilient supply chains, maintenance and specialised systems.

Accompanying Minister for Finance and Economy Andrej Domanski has highlighted increasing Polish defence exports to India, which includes potential drone supplies for the Indian army. Both sides should identify two or three joint technology projects and set dates to review progress.

The 30,000-strong Indian community in Poland can help sustain that momentum. Poland wants a stronger economic foothold in India; India seeks more diverse European partners and access to Polish industrial and technological capabilities.

The historic goodwill is real. The test is whether both governments can convert it into enduring investments, contracts and cooperation.

The writer is ex-secretary (east), MEA, who also served as ambassador to Poland