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During a defiant statement to the United States, Leader Vladimir Putin has told PM Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to guarantee “uninterrupted” deliveries of oil to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and asserted their bilateral ties were “immune to foreign coercion.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, appeared to be a direct challenge at Washington, who have sought to urge New Delhi into curtailing its close ties with Moscow. The context is in response to earlier Washington's moves, including the imposition of import duties against Indian goods over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Our nation is a dependable source of oil and gas and anything needed for the growth of India’s energy sector,” he remarked. “Russia is prepared to keep ensuring the steady flow of energy for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, though he did not naming energy explicitly, echoed the focus by stating that “energy security has been a robust and vital cornerstone of the Indo-Russian partnership.”

Defying Washington's Stance

Before the talks, via a media interview, Putin had challenged American pressure regarding India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “If the US has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India have the identical right?”

The visit marked his initial trip to India after the onset of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a visible attempt to demonstrate that the friendship between the men persisted strongly.

An Unusual Reception

Employing an rare step, Modi met Putin right off the plane. The two shared a warm hug akin to longtime companions before holding a one-on-one meal together.

Modi later described India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “based on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Defence and Economic Partnerships

The bilateral summit produced several significant pacts regarding defence and financial collaboration. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap that runs to 2030, which aims to increase twofold bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars per year by the 2030 deadline.

Additionally pledged to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. While Russia is still India's largest exporter of arms, this role has diminished over the past decade as India has sought broaden its supply base.

Their communique emphasized plans for the collaborative manufacturing of advanced weapons platforms, even if explicit reference of systems like the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Ultimately, Russia and India affirmed that in the “present intricate, strained, and uncertain international environment, Russian-Indian ties remain strong to foreign influence.”