Tusk jokes about turbans while clinching defence and trade pacts in India, Vietnam

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to India and Vietnam this week, holding talks with Indian Premier Narendra Modi in New Delhi and Vietnamese Premier Le Minh Hung in Hanoi. The agenda covered defence industry collaboration, space projects and broader technology ties. Before his scheduled speech in Bengaluru, the Karnataka chief minister presented Tusk with a traditional red-gold turban and shawl, a gesture that quickly became a viral meme online.

Tusk reported that Poland and India signed 13 strategic agreements, opening the Indian market to Polish firms, securing a PESA contract to build railway rolling stock, and confirming cooperation in satellites and pharmaceuticals. In Vietnam, the two leaders signed a strategic partnership that may soon allow direct flights from Warsaw to Hanoi and boost tourism, cosmetics and defence exchanges. The prime minister summed up the hectic schedule with a humorous comment about “hats off” to the week’s events.