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In a defiant signal to the United States, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “uninterrupted” supplies of oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and declared their relationship were “immune to external pressure.”

A Signal Directed at the United States

Putin's comments, made on Friday, appeared to be a pointed rebuke at the United States and its allies, who have repeatedly attempted to urge New Delhi into scaling back its historical links with Moscow. The context comes after earlier Washington's moves, including the introduction of import duties targeting New Delhi due to its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Moscow remains a reliable supplier of energy resources and anything needed for the growth of India’s economy,” he remarked. “We are ready to keep guaranteeing the steady flow of resources for the booming Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not referencing crude directly, echoed the focus by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and crucial cornerstone of the bilateral partnership.”

Challenging US Interference

In the lead-up to the summit, via a television interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance regarding India's dealings with Russia. Putin stated, “If the US has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, how can you deny India enjoy the identical right?”

This trip marked his first trip to India since the start of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a deliberate show to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the men was undisturbed.

A Personal Welcome

In a unusual step, Modi welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. They exchanged a hearty embrace like longtime companions before enjoying a closed-door supper the night before the summit.

The Indian prime minister later described India's relationship with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “built on shared respect and deep trust.”

Expanding Defence and Economic Cooperation

The meeting yielded a number of significant pacts regarding defence and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the signing of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars annually by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also pledged to restructure their military partnership. Even as Russia continues to be India's primary supplier of arms, this role has reduced lately as India aims to widen its sources.

The joint statement emphasized an agreement on the joint production of advanced weapons platforms, even if specific mention of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

Ultimately, Russia and India reiterated that during the “present intricate, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership stay durable to outside forces.”