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Amid a defiant signal to Western nations, Leader Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to guarantee “uninterrupted” supplies of oil to India. The announcement came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “resilient to foreign coercion.”

A Message Directed at the Western Countries

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, was widely seen to be a direct challenge at Washington, which have tried to urge New Delhi into curtailing its close relations with Moscow. This comes comes after previous American measures, such as the introduction of trade penalties against Indian goods due to its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a trustworthy source of fuel and everything needed for the growth of India’s industry,” Putin said. “Russia is prepared to keep guaranteeing the uninterrupted supply of resources for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not referencing crude specifically, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and vital foundation of the India-Russia partnership.”

Challenging American Pressure

Before the talks, during a television interview, Putin had questioned American pressure on India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “When Washington has the right to buy our uranium, why shouldn’t India claim the equivalent access?”

This trip marked his initial trip to India after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi undertook a visible show to demonstrate that the friendship between the men persisted strongly.

An Unusual Welcome

Taking an rare move, Prime Minister Modi welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. The two embraced warmly akin to old friends before holding a one-on-one meal on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister later described India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and added it was “founded on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Strengthening Defence and Economic Cooperation

The bilateral summit yielded multiple key agreements in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap that runs to 2030, which targets to increase twofold mutual trade to $100bn each year by the end of the decade.

Additionally agreed to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Although Russia remains India's largest source of weapons, this role has reduced lately as India has sought broaden its supply base.

Their communique stressed an agreement on the co-development of advanced military systems, although specific details of deals for the Su-57 fighter jet were omitted.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that in the “present intricate, strained, and uncertain international environment, their relationship continue to be resilient to outside forces.”