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During a unambiguous message to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. This declaration came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and asserted their bilateral ties were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Signal Directed at the Western Countries

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be targeted at the United States and its allies, that have repeatedly attempted to compel New Delhi into scaling back its historical relations with Moscow. This comes comes after previous US actions, notably the imposition of import duties targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of Moscow's energy exports.

“Russia is a dependable exporter of fuel and everything needed for the growth of India’s industry,” Putin said. “Russia is prepared to keep ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of energy for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, without referencing crude explicitly, supported the sentiment by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and vital cornerstone of the bilateral alliance.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Before the meeting, via a television interview, Putin had criticized American pressure over India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India have the same privilege?”

The visit was his first visit to India since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi undertook a deliberate show to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the heads of state was undisturbed.

An Unusual Welcome

Taking an notable gesture, the Indian PM personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. They exchanged a hearty embrace like longtime companions before having a closed-door supper together.

Modi in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “based on reciprocal esteem and deep trust.”

Expanding Strategic Cooperation

Friday's talks resulted in multiple key agreements across defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap extending until 2030, which targets to boost bilateral trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the target year.

The leaders also pledged to restructure their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia remains India's primary supplier of defence equipment, its share has declined over the past decade as India works to widen its supply base.

The joint statement stressed plans for the co-development of sophisticated weapons platforms, although direct mention of purchases such as the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that amid the “ongoing challenging, strained, and uncertain geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be durable to foreign influence.”