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During a unambiguous signal to the West, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to guarantee “continuous” deliveries of crude oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in the Indian capital and declared their partnership were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

This affirmation, delivered Friday, seemed to be a direct challenge at Washington, who have tried to compel New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding relations with Moscow. This comes comes after recent US actions, such as the imposition of tariffs on India because of its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a dependable source of fuel and all required for the development of India’s economy,” the Russian president said. “Russia is prepared to continue guaranteeing the steady flow of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, without naming energy directly, echoed the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and vital cornerstone of the bilateral partnership.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Before the meeting, during a media interview, Putin had questioned US interference regarding India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “Should America has the right to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit marked his maiden trip to India since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides engaged in a clear effort to display that the friendship between the heads of state was undisturbed.

A Personal Greeting

Taking an notable step, Prime Minister Modi welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. The two shared a warm hug like longtime companions before having a closed-door supper together.

Modi in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and added it was “founded on shared respect and deep trust.”

Strengthening Defence and Economic Ties

The bilateral summit yielded several important deals regarding defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which targets to boost bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD each year by the end of the decade.

Additionally agreed to recalibrate their defence ties. Even as Russia remains India's biggest exporter of arms, its share has diminished lately as India aims to widen its procurement.

The official release emphasized plans for the joint production of advanced military systems, even if explicit mention of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were omitted.

In conclusion, Russia and India affirmed that during the “current complex, difficult, and volatile international environment, Russian-Indian ties continue to be resilient to outside forces.”