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During a defiant signal to the West, President Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to provide “uninterrupted” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “immune to external pressure.”

A Signal Directed at the West

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be targeted at the United States and its allies, which have sought to urge New Delhi into scaling back its close relations with Moscow. This comes comes after previous Washington's moves, notably additional trade penalties targeting New Delhi over its purchase of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a dependable supplier of energy resources and everything needed for the growth of India’s industry,” the Russian president said. “Russia is prepared to keep ensuring the steady supply of resources for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, while not mentioning oil directly, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and crucial foundation of the bilateral alliance.”

Challenging US Interference

Prior to the talks, via a TV appearance, Putin had questioned American pressure on India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “If the US has the right to buy our atomic materials, why shouldn’t India have the identical right?”

This trip represented his maiden visit to India after the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides undertook a visible effort to display that the bond between the heads of state was undisturbed.

A Personal Welcome

In a unusual move, Modi personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. The two embraced warmly as longtime companions before enjoying a private dinner on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and added it was “built on shared respect and deep trust.”

Strengthening Defence and Economic Ties

The meeting yielded multiple important deals in the fields of military and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the finalization of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which targets to increase twofold mutual trade to one hundred billion dollars per year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore vowed to reshape their military partnership. Although Russia continues to be India's largest source of defence equipment, its share has diminished over the past decade as India works to diversify its procurement.

Their communique stressed an agreement on the co-development of sophisticated military systems, though explicit reference of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were not made.

Ultimately, both nations affirmed that during the “ongoing challenging, strained, and uncertain geopolitical situation, their relationship stay resilient to external pressure.”