Did Modi prevent nuclear war between Russia and Ukraine? Poland minister reveals ‘PM did persuade Putin not to…’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked Russia’s Vladimir Putin to refrain from using nuclear tactical weapons on Ukraine? Poland deputy foreign minister and secretary of state Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski revealed on Monday that the Indian PM might have made the suggestion during the early days of Russia-Ukraine war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Warsaw, Poland, on August 21-22, 2024. It was also the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in 45 years.

“We are very grateful for India’s involvement, We are very happy that PM Modi is doing that. We had a fantastic visit of PM last year. We signed a comprehensive strategic agreement, we signed an action plan to implement it. We appreciate the fact that PM Modi at the early stages of the war did persuade President Putin not to use tactical nuclear weapons’, Bartoszewski told the CNN-News18 reporter.

“We want permanent peace. We want stable and sustainable peace in Ukraine, not a ceasefire that could eventually lead to a war three years later”, the Poland deputy foreign minister added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Moscow in July 2024 and met President Vladimir Putin.

‘This is Not the Time for War’

In a recent podcast with Lex Fridman, PM Narendra Modi expressed his stance on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing the need for peace.

PM Modi stated, “I have a close relationship with Russia and Ukraine alike. I can sit with President Putin and say that this is not the time for war.”

Additionally, PM Modi advised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying, “Brother, regardless of how many people stand with you in the world, there will never be a resolution on the battlefield. The resolution will only come when both Ukraine and Russia come to the negotiating table”.

Russia-Ukraine Nuclear War – A Possibility?

The possibility of Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine has been a recurring concern since 2022, with escalating rhetoric from Russian leadership countered by Ukrainian warnings and Western intelligence assessments.

President Vladimir Putin first explicitly threatened nuclear escalation in September 2022, stating Russia would use “all means” to defend annexed territories and calling this “not a bluff” during a partial mobilisation address.

Subsequent threats emerged from key allies, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s refusal to rule out nuclear use and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s 2022 call for low-yield strikes after Russia’s loss of Lyman.

In September 2024, Putin proposed revised nuclear doctrine, framing attacks by non-nuclear states with Western backing as “joint aggression” warranting nuclear response.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently denounced these threats as intimidation tactics, warning at the 2024 UN General Assembly that Russia might target nuclear facilities to create artificial disasters.

Notably, in November 2024, serving as a reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and sending a powerful message to the US and other NATO allies, Moscow launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Ukraine from its southern Astrakhan region.

Western analyses remain divided on likelihood versus posturing.

The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service’s 2025 report judged actual deployment “highly improbable”, attributing Moscow’s threats to deter Western military aid.

However, it noted Russia’s 2024 exercises simulating tactical nuclear strikes and storage upgrades near NATO borders as deliberate intimidation.

Academic assessments like Graham Allison’s 2023 Time analysis suggested Putin might rationalise limited strikes under Cold War-era “escalate to de-escalate” doctrine if facing strategic collapse.

As of March 2025, the Kremlin continues leveraging nuclear rhetoric while avoiding overt escalation, focusing instead on reviving Soviet-era “nuclear winter” propaganda to sway Western public opinion against supporting Ukraine.

Why did Russia Invade Ukraine?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was motivated by a complex interplay of historical, strategic, and ideological factors. President Vladimir Putin justified the invasion by claiming the need to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine, asserting baseless allegations of genocide against Russian speakers in the Donbas region and portraying Ukraine as a threat due to its perceived alignment with NATO.

However, analysts argue that Russia’s primary objectives were to regain control over Ukraine, assert its status as a great power, and counter the perceived security threat posed by a democratic Ukraine and NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe.