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In a defiant signal to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to maintain “continuous” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in New Delhi and asserted their relationship were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Message Directed at the Western Countries

Putin's comments, made on Friday, was widely seen to be targeted at western countries, which have tried to urge New Delhi into curtailing its longstanding links with Moscow. The context follows earlier Washington's moves, including the introduction of tariffs on India because of its acquisition of Russian oil.

“Russia is a dependable source of energy resources and everything needed for the advancement of India’s economy,” the Russian president said. “Russia is prepared to persist in ensuring the steady supply of fuel for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, without naming energy specifically, reinforced the focus by saying that “a stable energy base has been a robust and important foundation of the bilateral cooperation.”

Questioning American Pressure

Before the summit, via a media interview, Putin had questioned American pressure regarding India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “Should America has the right to buy our uranium, how can you deny India enjoy the identical right?”

Putin's arrival was his initial journey to India after the start of the situation in Ukraine, and both sides made a deliberate attempt to project that the personal rapport between the men was undisturbed.

An Unusual Greeting

Taking an rare gesture, the Indian PM welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. They embraced warmly like old friends before enjoying a private dinner on Thursday evening.

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

Strengthening Defence and Economic Partnerships

Friday's talks produced a number of key agreements across defence and financial collaboration. One significant result was the signing of an joint economic plan aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold mutual trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the target year.

The leaders also agreed to restructure their military partnership. Even as Russia continues to be India's largest supplier of weapons, its share has declined in recent years as India works to broaden its sources.

The joint statement stressed cooperation in the collaborative manufacturing of advanced weapons platforms, although specific details of systems like the Sukhoi Su-57 were omitted.

Ultimately, Russia and India restated that during the “current complex, tense, and volatile international environment, the Indo-Russian partnership remain durable to outside forces.”