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During a defiant message to the West, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “unbroken” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and asserted their partnership were “immune to external pressure.”

A Message Directed at the United States

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, seemed to be a direct challenge at western countries, who have sought to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its historical ties with Moscow. The backdrop is in response to previous American measures, notably additional import duties on India due to its purchase of Russian oil.

“Our nation is a trustworthy supplier of fuel and anything needed for the advancement of India’s energy sector,” the Russian president said. “We are ready to continue ensuring the steady flow of fuel for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not mentioning oil specifically, echoed the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and crucial foundation of the bilateral alliance.”

Questioning US Interference

Prior to the meeting, during a media interview, Putin had challenged American pressure regarding India's dealings with Russia. Putin stated, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our uranium, how can you deny India enjoy the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival represented his maiden trip to India following the start of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations made a clear effort to project that the personal rapport between the men persisted strongly.

A Warm Welcome

Employing an notable gesture, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin right off the plane. They embraced warmly akin to old friends before holding a private dinner the night before the summit.

The Indian prime minister referred to India's alliance with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “built on mutual respect and profound confidence.”

Strengthening Strategic Partnerships

Friday's talks resulted in a number of important deals across military and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an joint economic plan aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold commerce to $100bn annually by the 2030 deadline.

Furthermore pledged to recalibrate their military partnership. Even as Russia remains India's biggest supplier of defence equipment, its share has diminished over the past decade as India aims to broaden its procurement.

Their communique stressed plans for the collaborative manufacturing of cutting-edge defence platforms, even if explicit mention of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were omitted.

Ultimately, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that in the “present intricate, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, their relationship continue to be resilient to external pressure.”