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Amid a clear message to the United States, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to provide “unbroken” deliveries of crude oil to India. The announcement came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and declared their relationship were “immune to external pressure.”

A Signal Directed at the West

Putin's comments, made on Friday, appeared to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, that have sought to compel New Delhi into curtailing its close ties with Moscow. The context comes after previous Washington's moves, such as additional tariffs against Indian goods because of its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Our nation is a reliable supplier of fuel and everything required for the advancement of India’s industry,” the Russian president said. “Moscow stands willing to keep guaranteeing the consistent delivery of resources for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not referencing crude explicitly, echoed the sentiment by stating that “energy security has been a strong and crucial cornerstone of the India-Russia partnership.”

Questioning US Interference

Before the summit, via a media interview, Putin had challenged American pressure on India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “When Washington has the right to buy our uranium, why shouldn’t India enjoy the equivalent access?”

This trip was his initial journey to India after the onset of the war in Ukraine, and both sides engaged in a deliberate effort to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the two leaders persisted strongly.

A Warm Welcome

Employing an unusual gesture, Prime Minister Modi met Putin as he disembarked. They exchanged a hearty embrace like old friends before holding a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's relationship with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “built on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Bilateral Partnerships

The bilateral summit produced multiple significant pacts regarding military and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the completion of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which targets to increase twofold bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the target year.

Additionally pledged to reshape their strategic cooperation. Although Russia is still India's biggest source of defence equipment, this role has diminished lately as India works to widen its procurement.

The official release highlighted plans for the collaborative manufacturing of advanced defence platforms, even if explicit details of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Ultimately, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that in the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership stay durable to outside forces.”