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During a unambiguous statement to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to provide “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came during a summit where both heads of state met in Delhi and asserted their bilateral ties were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Statement Aimed at the Western Countries

This affirmation, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at Washington, which have sought to urge New Delhi into curtailing its longstanding relations with Moscow. The backdrop comes after earlier Washington's moves, notably the introduction of tariffs on India because of its acquisition of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a dependable supplier of oil and gas and all necessary for the growth of India’s industry,” Putin stated. “Russia is prepared to persist in securing the uninterrupted flow of fuel for the booming Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, supported the theme by saying that “energy security has been a strong and vital pillar of the Indo-Russian alliance.”

Challenging US Interference

Prior to the meeting, in a TV appearance, Putin had challenged Washington's stance over India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “Should America has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, then why can't India have the identical right?”

This trip was his initial visit to India after the onset of the situation in Ukraine, and both sides made a visible show to demonstrate that the bond between the heads of state was undisturbed.

An Unusual Reception

Employing an unusual step, Modi welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. Both leaders shared a warm hug as longtime companions before enjoying a one-on-one meal together.

Modi in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and added it was “founded on mutual respect and profound confidence.”

Strengthening Strategic Cooperation

The meeting resulted in multiple significant pacts regarding defence and economic cooperation. One significant result was the signing of an economic cooperation programme extending until 2030, which sets a goal to boost commerce to a hundred billion USD annually by the target year.

The leaders also agreed to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia continues to be India's largest exporter of arms, this role has diminished in recent years as India has sought widen its procurement.

The official release emphasized an agreement on the joint production of cutting-edge military systems, even if explicit reference of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were left out.

Ultimately, both nations restated that amid the “present intricate, difficult, and volatile geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership stay durable to foreign influence.”