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During a defiant statement to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “uninterrupted” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and asserted their relationship were “immune to outside influence.”

A Statement For the West

This affirmation, made on Friday, seemed to be a direct challenge at Washington, that have tried to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its close ties with Moscow. The context is in response to previous US actions, such as additional import duties against Indian goods because of its purchase of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a trustworthy source of oil and gas and everything necessary for the growth of India’s industry,” he stated. “We are ready to persist in securing the consistent flow of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, without referencing crude explicitly, echoed the sentiment by saying that “a stable energy base has been a robust and important foundation of the bilateral alliance.”

Questioning Washington's Stance

In the lead-up to the summit, during a media interview, Putin had challenged US interference on India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “If the US has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India claim the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival was his maiden trip to India following the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi engaged in a clear show to project that the bond between the men persisted strongly.

A Warm Reception

Taking an rare gesture, Prime Minister Modi welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. The two shared a warm hug like longtime companions before holding a private dinner the night before the summit.

Modi in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “built on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Strengthening Bilateral Ties

The meeting produced a number of important deals in the fields of military and trade relations. A major outcome was the signing of an economic cooperation programme that runs to 2030, which aims to increase twofold bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Although Russia remains India's largest exporter of weapons, its share has reduced in recent years as India works to diversify its sources.

The joint statement stressed cooperation in the co-development of advanced weapons platforms, even if explicit reference of purchases such as the Sukhoi Su-57 were omitted.

Ultimately, both nations reiterated that during the “current complex, difficult, and volatile geopolitical situation, their relationship continue to be resilient to external pressure.”