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During a unambiguous signal to the United States, Leader Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. This declaration came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and affirmed their partnership were “resistant to outside influence.”

A Statement For the West

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, was widely seen to be a direct challenge at the United States and its allies, that have repeatedly attempted to urge New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. The backdrop follows earlier Washington's moves, notably the imposition of import duties targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Russia is a dependable exporter of fuel and everything needed for the advancement of India’s industry,” Putin stated. “Russia is prepared to keep ensuring the consistent supply of resources for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, echoed the focus by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and crucial pillar of the Indo-Russian partnership.”

Questioning American Pressure

Prior to the talks, via a TV appearance, Putin had challenged American pressure over India's oil imports. The president questioned, “If the US has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India enjoy the identical right?”

This trip represented his first visit to India after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and both sides undertook a visible attempt to display that the bond between the two leaders was undisturbed.

A Warm Welcome

Taking an notable step, the Indian PM welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. They shared a warm hug akin to longtime companions before holding a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

He later described India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “founded on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Bilateral Ties

Friday's talks produced multiple key agreements across defence and economic cooperation. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap extending until 2030, which sets a goal to double commerce to one hundred billion dollars each year by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also vowed to reshape their defence ties. While Russia remains India's primary exporter of defence equipment, its share has reduced in recent years as India aims to diversify its supply base.

The official release emphasized cooperation in the joint production of advanced defence platforms, though direct reference of systems like the Sukhoi Su-57 were not made.

Overall, Russia and India affirmed that in the “current complex, tense, and volatile international environment, Russian-Indian ties continue to be strong to foreign influence.”