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In a unambiguous statement to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to guarantee “uninterrupted” supplies of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “immune to external pressure.”

A Signal For the United States

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be targeted at the United States and its allies, which have sought to urge New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding relations with Moscow. This comes comes after recent Washington's moves, including additional tariffs targeting New Delhi because of its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Russia is a reliable source of fuel and anything necessary for the growth of India’s economy,” he stated. “Moscow stands willing to persist in securing the uninterrupted supply of resources for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not referencing crude explicitly, echoed the sentiment by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and vital cornerstone of the Indo-Russian partnership.”

Defying Washington's Stance

Before the talks, in a television interview, Putin had criticized US interference regarding India's oil imports. Putin stated, “If the US can claim the privilege to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India claim the same privilege?”

This trip was his initial visit to India since the beginning of the situation in Ukraine, and both sides made a visible effort to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the two leaders was undisturbed.

An Unusual Greeting

Taking an notable step, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. They shared a warm hug akin to longtime companions before enjoying a one-on-one meal on Thursday evening.

Modi in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and said it was “built on shared respect and strong faith.”

Reaffirming Bilateral Partnerships

The meeting produced a number of key agreements regarding defence and trade relations. One significant result was the signing of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which aims to boost mutual trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the target year.

Furthermore pledged to restructure their military partnership. While Russia is still India's primary supplier of defence equipment, the volume has diminished over the past decade as India aims to widen its procurement.

Their communique highlighted cooperation in the collaborative manufacturing of cutting-edge military systems, although direct reference of deals for the Su-57 fighter jet were not made.

Overall, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that amid the “ongoing challenging, strained, and uncertain international environment, their relationship remain durable to foreign influence.”