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During a unambiguous message to the United States, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to maintain “uninterrupted” deliveries of energy resources to India. This declaration came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and asserted their relationship were “immune to outside influence.”

A Message Directed at the West

The statement, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, which have sought to pressure New Delhi into reducing its historical ties with Moscow. This comes comes after previous US actions, notably the imposition of import duties on India over its purchase of Russian oil.

“Russia is a dependable supplier of oil and gas and anything necessary for the growth of India’s economy,” he remarked. “We are ready to keep securing the consistent supply of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, supported the sentiment by saying that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and crucial foundation of the bilateral cooperation.”

Questioning American Pressure

Before the meeting, via a media interview, Putin had challenged US interference on India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our nuclear fuel, how can you deny India claim the equivalent access?”

This trip marked his first visit to India following the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides made a visible attempt to project that the friendship between the men remained intact.

A Warm Greeting

Employing an notable move, Modi welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. Both leaders embraced warmly akin to close allies before having a one-on-one meal together.

Modi in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and said it was “founded on reciprocal esteem and deep trust.”

Expanding Strategic Ties

The bilateral summit produced multiple important deals regarding defence and financial collaboration. One significant result was the finalization of an economic cooperation programme extending until 2030, which aims to increase twofold commerce to a hundred billion USD each year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to restructure their defence ties. Even as Russia continues to be India's biggest source of arms, the volume has declined lately as India has sought broaden its sources.

Their communique highlighted cooperation in the joint production of advanced military systems, although explicit reference of purchases such as the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

Overall, both nations restated that during the “present intricate, tense, and uncertain global landscape, Russian-Indian ties remain strong to foreign influence.”