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In a unambiguous message to Western nations, Leader Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to provide “continuous” deliveries of oil to India. This declaration came as the two leaders met in the Indian capital and asserted their bilateral ties were “resistant to external pressure.”

A Message For the Western Countries

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, seemed to be a pointed rebuke at the United States and its allies, who have sought to compel New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. The context follows earlier US actions, including the imposition of import duties targeting New Delhi over its buying of Russian oil.

“Our nation is a trustworthy source of oil and gas and anything needed for the advancement of India’s economy,” he remarked. “Moscow stands willing to keep ensuring the steady supply of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, while not referencing crude specifically, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and crucial pillar of the India-Russia partnership.”

Questioning American Pressure

Prior to the summit, in a TV appearance, Putin had challenged American pressure over India's energy purchases. He argued, “When Washington can claim the privilege to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India have the identical right?”

The visit marked his maiden trip to India after the onset of the war in Ukraine, and both sides engaged in a deliberate attempt to demonstrate that the friendship between the two leaders remained intact.

A Warm Welcome

In a notable gesture, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin right off the plane. They embraced warmly akin to close allies before enjoying a one-on-one meal the night before the summit.

Modi in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a lodestar” and noted it was “built on mutual respect and profound confidence.”

Reaffirming Strategic Ties

Friday's talks produced multiple important deals in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also agreed to recalibrate their military partnership. While Russia is still India's largest exporter of defence equipment, the volume has diminished lately as India works to diversify its supply base.

The official release emphasized plans for the collaborative manufacturing of advanced weapons platforms, although explicit reference of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were omitted.

In conclusion, Russia and India restated that during the “present intricate, strained, and unpredictable international environment, Russian-Indian ties stay durable to outside forces.”