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Amid a defiant signal to the United States, Leader Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to provide “uninterrupted” supplies of oil to India. These remarks came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and declared their relationship were “resistant to external pressure.”

A Message Aimed at the United States

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be a pointed rebuke at the United States and its allies, who have repeatedly attempted to urge New Delhi into scaling back its historical relations with Moscow. The context comes after previous American measures, such as the introduction of tariffs on India due to its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Moscow remains a reliable exporter of fuel and everything necessary for the advancement of India’s industry,” he said. “We are ready to continue ensuring the uninterrupted flow of resources for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not naming energy specifically, echoed the focus by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and crucial pillar of the bilateral partnership.”

Defying US Interference

Before the summit, in a media interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance 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 beginning of the situation in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi undertook a deliberate attempt to project that the personal rapport between the heads of state was undisturbed.

An Unusual Greeting

Taking an unusual move, the Indian PM welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. Both leaders exchanged a hearty embrace like old friends before enjoying a closed-door supper together.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's relationship with Russia as “a lodestar” and added it was “based on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation

The meeting produced several key agreements in the fields of military and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the finalization of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which sets a goal to boost mutual trade to $100bn each year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore vowed to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Although Russia is still India's largest supplier of arms, its share has diminished in recent years as India works to broaden its procurement.

The joint statement stressed an agreement on the collaborative manufacturing of sophisticated defence platforms, although direct details of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were omitted.

Overall, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that during the “ongoing challenging, tense, and uncertain global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be durable to foreign influence.”