🔗 Share this article

Amid a unambiguous message to the West, President Vladimir Putin has told PM Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “uninterrupted” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in the Indian capital and asserted their bilateral ties were “immune to external pressure.”

A Statement Directed at the West

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be a direct challenge at western countries, who have tried to urge New Delhi into scaling back its close relations with Moscow. This comes comes after previous Washington's moves, notably additional trade penalties against Indian goods due to its buying of discounted Russian crude.

“Moscow remains a trustworthy source of energy resources and everything necessary for the development of India’s economy,” Putin remarked. “Russia is prepared to persist in securing the consistent supply of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, though he did not naming energy specifically, supported the theme by stating that “energy security has been a strong and crucial pillar of the bilateral alliance.”

Defying US Interference

In the lead-up to the talks, in a TV appearance, Putin had criticized American pressure regarding India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “When Washington is entitled to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India claim the same privilege?”

Putin's arrival represented his first journey to India following the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides made a deliberate effort to project that the bond between the heads of state was undisturbed.

An Unusual Welcome

Taking an rare gesture, the Indian PM personally greeted Putin as he disembarked. The two embraced warmly as close allies before enjoying a private dinner on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister later described India's relationship with Russia as “a lodestar” and noted it was “built on mutual respect and deep trust.”

Strengthening Defence and Economic Cooperation

The bilateral summit yielded multiple key agreements regarding defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the finalization of an joint economic plan aimed at 2030, which targets to increase twofold mutual trade to $100bn annually by the end of the decade.

The leaders also pledged to recalibrate their defence ties. Although Russia continues to be India's biggest supplier of defence equipment, this role has reduced over the past decade as India aims to diversify its sources.

The official release stressed cooperation in the joint production of advanced weapons platforms, although explicit mention of systems like the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

Overall, Russia and India reiterated that in the “current complex, tense, and volatile global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership stay resilient to outside forces.”