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In a unambiguous statement to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to maintain “continuous” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in the Indian capital and declared their bilateral ties were “resilient to outside influence.”

A Statement Aimed at the West

This affirmation, made on Friday, appeared to be targeted at Washington, which have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into reducing its close ties with Moscow. The backdrop follows earlier US actions, notably additional tariffs against Indian goods due to its purchase of Russian oil.

“Our nation is a reliable exporter of fuel and all needed for the development of India’s economy,” the Russian president remarked. “Russia is prepared to keep securing the steady supply of fuel for the booming Indian economy.”

Modi, without naming energy directly, echoed the sentiment by saying that “a stable energy base has been a key and crucial foundation of the India-Russia partnership.”

Questioning American Pressure

Before the summit, in a television interview, Putin had questioned American pressure on India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “When Washington can claim the privilege to buy our nuclear fuel, then why can't India claim the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival marked his maiden visit to India since the onset of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a visible show to project that the friendship between the men was undisturbed.

A Warm Greeting

Employing an notable move, the Indian PM personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. Both leaders embraced warmly like close allies before having a one-on-one meal together.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and added it was “based on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Defence and Economic Ties

Friday's talks resulted in multiple significant pacts in the fields of defence and economic cooperation. A major outcome was the completion of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold commerce to $100bn each year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to restructure their defence ties. While Russia continues to be India's biggest source of arms, the volume has diminished lately as India works to diversify its supply base.

The official release highlighted an agreement on the co-development of sophisticated military systems, although direct reference of systems like the Su-57 fighter jet were omitted.

Ultimately, Russia and India restated that in the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and uncertain global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership remain resilient to external pressure.”