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Amid a unambiguous message to the West, President Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to guarantee “uninterrupted” supplies of crude oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in New Delhi and affirmed their partnership were “resilient to foreign coercion.”

A Statement Directed at the Western Countries

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be a direct challenge at Washington, that have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its longstanding relations with Moscow. The context comes after recent Washington's moves, including additional import duties on India over its purchase of discounted Russian crude.

“Russia is a trustworthy exporter of fuel and all necessary for the development of India’s energy sector,” Putin remarked. “Moscow stands willing to persist in securing the uninterrupted supply of fuel for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and crucial foundation of the bilateral alliance.”

Challenging US Interference

Before the talks, via a television interview, Putin had questioned American pressure over India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “If the US is entitled to buy our uranium, then why can't India enjoy the same privilege?”

The visit marked his initial trip to India since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides undertook a clear show to display that the friendship between the heads of state was undisturbed.

A Personal Welcome

In a rare step, the Indian PM personally greeted Putin right off the plane. The two exchanged a hearty embrace as close allies before having a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

Modi in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “founded on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Reaffirming Strategic Ties

Friday's talks resulted in several significant pacts in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the completion of an economic cooperation programme aimed at 2030, which targets to boost mutual trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the target year.

Furthermore vowed to recalibrate their defence ties. Although Russia is still India's largest source of defence equipment, its share has declined lately as India works to widen its sources.

The joint statement stressed plans for the joint production of sophisticated military systems, although explicit mention of purchases such as the fifth-generation aircraft were left out.

In conclusion, Russia and India restated that amid the “current complex, difficult, and volatile geopolitical situation, their relationship stay durable to outside forces.”