The return of Donald Trump to the White House is beginning to reshape global diplomacy, and its effects are now being felt in New Delhi.
During a recent visit to India, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski openly raised concerns about India’s long-standing relationship with Russia, sending a clear signal that European capitals are starting to echo Washington’s tougher line on Moscow.
Sikorski was in India from January 17 to 19, where he spoke at the Jaipur Literature Festival and held meetings with Indian officials.
While the visit was officially presented as part of broader diplomatic and economic outreach, much of his public messaging focused on Russia, the Ukraine war, and the changing global order after Trump’s return.
Warning India against trusting Russia
Speaking at a public forum in Jaipur, Sikorski warned against trusting Russian President Vladimir Putin recalling how Moscow violated the Budapest Memorandum and other border treaties.
He reminded his audience that Ukraine had given up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees that were later broken by Russia.
He went further by describing Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a form of “neocolonialism,” arguing that Moscow was trying to recolonize Ukraine for its resources and people.
The message was clearly aimed at India a country with its own history of colonial rule and a long tradition of opposing imperialism.
Military exercises, Trump factor and Europe’s new line
The most politically sensitive moment came when an Indian journalist tried to shift the discussion by asking Sikorski about his recent visit to Pakistan.
Instead of taking the bait, the Polish foreign minister responded sharply by saying that Poland was also worried about India’s military exercises with Russia.
The remark was widely seen as a direct and public expression of European unease over India’s defence cooperation with Moscow.
This comes at a time when Trump’s return has already increased pressure on countries maintaining close ties with Russia.
Sikorski openly acknowledged that Trump’s tariff policies are creating global trade turbulence and said both Europe and India are feeling the impact.
He suggested that India should deepen its engagement with Europe as a way to balance shifting American policies.
After Washington, European capitals are now also beginning to question India’s Russia policy more openly.
For New Delhi, which has tried to carefully balance its relations between the West and Moscow, this visit shows that maintaining that balance is becoming increasingly difficult in a more divided and tense global order.
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