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In a unambiguous statement to the United States, Leader Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to guarantee “continuous” deliveries of crude oil to India. These remarks came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and asserted their bilateral ties were “immune to outside influence.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be targeted at western countries, which have sought to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its close links with Moscow. The backdrop is in response to recent American measures, such as additional trade penalties targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Russia is a reliable source of fuel and all necessary for the development of India’s energy sector,” the Russian president said. “We are ready to persist in guaranteeing the uninterrupted flow of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not mentioning oil explicitly, echoed the sentiment by noting that “a stable energy base has been a key and crucial foundation of the Indo-Russian alliance.”

Challenging US Interference

Before the meeting, in a television interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance regarding India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “If the US is entitled to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India have the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival marked his first visit to India since the start of the war in Ukraine, and both sides undertook a clear effort to project that the friendship between the heads of state persisted strongly.

A Personal Greeting

Employing an unusual gesture, Modi personally greeted Putin as he disembarked. Both leaders exchanged a hearty embrace like longtime companions before holding a private dinner the night before the summit.

Modi referred to India's alliance with Russia as “a guiding star” and said it was “founded on shared respect and deep trust.”

Strengthening Bilateral Partnerships

The meeting produced multiple important deals across military and economic cooperation. A cornerstone agreement was the finalization of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which aims to boost bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars each year by the 2030 deadline.

Furthermore pledged to reshape their military partnership. While Russia is still India's biggest supplier of defence equipment, the volume has declined in recent years as India works to broaden its procurement.

Their communique highlighted an agreement on the co-development of sophisticated defence platforms, though specific reference of purchases such as the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

In conclusion, both nations restated that during the “present intricate, tense, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, their relationship remain durable to external pressure.”