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During a clear message to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “continuous” deliveries of crude oil to India. This declaration came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and affirmed their bilateral ties were “resistant to outside influence.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

Putin's comments, made on Friday, appeared to be targeted at the United States and its allies, which have repeatedly attempted to urge New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. This comes comes after earlier Washington's moves, notably the imposition of trade penalties on India because of its purchase of Moscow's energy exports.

“Russia is a trustworthy exporter of oil and gas and everything required for the development of India’s energy sector,” Putin stated. “We are ready to continue securing the steady delivery of fuel for the booming Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not referencing crude explicitly, supported the sentiment by saying that “energy security has been a key and vital foundation of the India-Russia cooperation.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Prior to the meeting, during a media interview, Putin had questioned Washington's stance over India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “When Washington is entitled to buy our atomic materials, how can you deny India have the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival represented his initial visit to India after the onset of the war in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi made a clear attempt to display that the bond between the heads of state persisted strongly.

An Unusual Reception

Taking an rare step, Modi personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. They exchanged a hearty embrace like longtime companions before holding a private dinner on Thursday evening.

He referred to India's alliance with Russia as “a beacon” and noted it was “based on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Expanding Bilateral Partnerships

The meeting produced several important deals across defence and trade relations. A major outcome was the completion of an joint economic plan aimed at 2030, which targets to increase twofold mutual trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore vowed to reshape their defence ties. Even as Russia is still India's biggest source of arms, the volume has declined in recent years as India works to widen its sources.

Their communique emphasized an agreement on the joint production of sophisticated defence platforms, though specific mention of deals for the Su-57 fighter jet were not made.

Ultimately, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that in the “present intricate, difficult, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be strong to external pressure.”