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During a clear statement to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “uninterrupted” shipments of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and declared their relationship were “resistant to foreign coercion.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, appeared to be a direct challenge at western countries, which have tried to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its longstanding ties with Moscow. This comes is in response to previous Washington's moves, notably the imposition of import duties on India due to its purchase of Russian oil.

“Russia is a reliable source of oil and gas and everything necessary for the development of India’s energy sector,” he said. “Russia is prepared to keep ensuring the steady supply of energy for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, reinforced the theme by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and crucial foundation of the India-Russia partnership.”

Questioning US Interference

Before the meeting, via a TV appearance, Putin had criticized Washington's stance regarding India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “When Washington is entitled to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit represented his maiden journey to India following the start of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations made a visible show to project that the bond between the heads of state persisted strongly.

A Warm Welcome

In a notable move, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin right off the plane. Both leaders embraced warmly as longtime companions before holding a one-on-one meal the night before the summit.

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

Expanding Bilateral Cooperation

Friday's talks yielded multiple significant pacts regarding defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which targets to increase twofold bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the target year.

The leaders also agreed to restructure their military partnership. Even as Russia remains India's primary exporter of weapons, its share has declined over the past decade as India works to broaden its sources.

The official release highlighted cooperation in the collaborative manufacturing of sophisticated defence platforms, though explicit details of purchases such as the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Overall, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that during the “current complex, tense, and volatile international environment, Russian-Indian ties remain resilient to foreign influence.”