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During a defiant message to the West, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “unbroken” supplies of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in New Delhi and declared their relationship were “immune to outside influence.”

A Signal For the West

The statement, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at Washington, which have sought to urge New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. The context is in response to earlier American measures, including additional trade penalties targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Our nation is a trustworthy exporter of fuel and anything necessary for the development of India’s economy,” the Russian president stated. “We are ready to keep guaranteeing the consistent flow of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, though he did not referencing crude specifically, echoed the theme by stating that “a stable energy base has been a strong and important pillar of the bilateral alliance.”

Questioning US Interference

Prior to the meeting, via a television interview, Putin had criticized US interference regarding India's dealings with Russia. He argued, “If the US has the right to buy our uranium, why shouldn’t India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit represented his initial trip to India following the beginning of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a deliberate effort to demonstrate that the bond between the men was undisturbed.

A Personal Greeting

Employing an notable step, the Indian PM met Putin right off the plane. The two exchanged a hearty embrace akin to longtime companions before enjoying a private dinner together.

The Indian prime minister later described India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and added it was “based on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Strengthening Bilateral Partnerships

The bilateral summit resulted in multiple key agreements regarding military and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the finalization of an strategic roadmap that runs to 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold commerce to $100bn per year by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also agreed to restructure their military partnership. Although Russia continues to be India's largest source of defence equipment, its share has declined lately as India has sought diversify its sources.

The official release emphasized cooperation in the collaborative manufacturing of sophisticated defence platforms, though specific mention of systems like the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Ultimately, Russia and India affirmed that amid the “current complex, strained, and uncertain global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership stay resilient to outside forces.”