Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that India will invite Polish companies to co-develop and co-produce in defence, space and nuclear energy. The offer signals that the two democracies see private industry as an engine of their growing partnership.
Modi made the announcement in a press statement alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on October 22, 2026. The leaders agreed to deepen ties in all three strategic sectors, and their bilateral talks covered the full range of relations between the countries.
The Industrial Angle
Co-development and co-production point to joint ventures and shared manufacturing, rather than simple government-to-government purchases. Modi said India would invite Polish firms to work directly in all three sectors.
Modi welcomed Tusk at Hyderabad House, while External Affairs Minister Jaishankar called on the Polish prime minister. Tusk called his discussion with Modi “fruitful.” He said they focused on developing and strengthening the strategic partnership.
A Partnership Built on Shared Interests
The relationship has a history. Modi recalled that the two countries elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership during his 2024 visit to Poland. “Building on this strong foundation, our partnership has gained new momentum over the past two years,” he said. Tusk confirmed the leaders made that decision jointly during Modi’s visit to Warsaw in August 2024.
Tusk was blunt about why the partnership works. “The synergies between Poland and India are quite clear. We have no conflicts of interest and no historical issues that divide us,” he said. He said their friendship rests on trust, shared values and ideas such as non-violence, and pointed out that Poland’s Solidarity movement grew from non-violent action.
Modi made a similar point about shared values. “The friendship between India and Poland is not based merely on diplomatic relations, but on the shared heritage of humanity and empathy,” he said. He added that both nations believe in democratic values and the rule of law.
Global Governance and Security
Modi also called for changes at the international level. “We believe that reform is essential to make global governance institutions more empowered and effective. Be it Ukraine or West Asia, India will continue to support every meaningful effort towards peace,” he said after meeting Tusk.
Tusk praised Modi’s global role, calling it “a source of hope in these times of destabilisation, uncertainty, political uncertainty, and instability.”
Other headlines that day reflected the instability Tusk described. The Economic Times’ Breaking News Live blog reported that an Indian national suffered injuries in an attack at Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oilfield, and reported an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The blog said the airport attack’s death toll had risen to two and that operations resumed.
Why This Matters:
Defence, space and nuclear energy sit at the heart of national security and economic strength. India and Poland are choosing to build capacity in those fields together through company-level partnerships. By inviting private firms into co-development and co-production, both governments are counting on industry to deliver results. That approach tends to favour accountability and efficiency over state-run programmes. The timing stands out, too. Attacks at Saudi energy and aviation sites were reported the same day, making the case for trusted partners with, in Tusk’s words, “no conflicts of interest” stronger. The test ahead is whether the announcement produces signed contracts and delivered hardware.
- india
- poland
- narendra modi
- donald tusk
- defence cooperation
- space cooperation
- nuclear energy
- strategic partnership