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Amid a defiant signal to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to maintain “unbroken” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in New Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “immune to external pressure.”

A Signal For the West

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be targeted at the United States and its allies, who have sought to compel New Delhi into scaling back its historical links with Moscow. This comes comes after earlier US actions, notably the introduction of tariffs targeting New Delhi due to its acquisition of Russian oil.

“Our nation is a trustworthy source of energy resources and anything required for the advancement of India’s economy,” he said. “Russia is prepared to persist in guaranteeing the uninterrupted supply of energy for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, reinforced the focus by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and important foundation of the bilateral cooperation.”

Questioning Washington's Stance

In the lead-up to the talks, via a TV appearance, Putin had criticized American pressure on India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India enjoy the same privilege?”

This trip represented his first trip to India after the beginning of the situation in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi made a clear attempt to project that the bond between the men persisted strongly.

An Unusual Reception

In a rare gesture, the Indian PM welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. Both leaders shared a warm hug like close allies before enjoying a one-on-one meal on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “based on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Bilateral Partnerships

Friday's talks produced multiple significant pacts regarding defence and trade relations. One significant result was the completion of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to boost mutual trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also pledged to reshape their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia continues to be India's largest source of arms, the volume has declined lately as India has sought broaden its supply base.

Their communique stressed an agreement on the co-development of cutting-edge military systems, even if direct mention of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Overall, both nations affirmed that in the “current complex, strained, and unpredictable global landscape, their relationship remain resilient to foreign influence.”