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Amid a unambiguous message to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to maintain “uninterrupted” supplies of crude oil to India. The announcement came as the two leaders met in Delhi and asserted their partnership were “immune to outside influence.”

A Statement For the Western Countries

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, that have tried to compel New Delhi into scaling back its close links with Moscow. The context is in response to earlier Washington's moves, notably the imposition of trade penalties against Indian goods because of its purchase of discounted Russian crude.

“Russia is a trustworthy source of oil and gas and all necessary for the development of India’s economy,” he remarked. “Russia is prepared to continue ensuring the steady flow of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, without naming energy directly, supported the focus by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and important cornerstone of the Indo-Russian partnership.”

Questioning US Interference

Prior to the talks, during a media interview, Putin had challenged Washington's stance over India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “If the US has the right to buy our atomic materials, why shouldn’t India enjoy the equivalent access?”

This trip marked his maiden journey to India after the onset of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations engaged in a deliberate effort to display that the personal rapport between the men remained intact.

A Personal Greeting

In a rare step, the Indian PM met Putin right off the plane. Both leaders shared a warm hug as longtime companions before holding a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

He referred to India's relationship with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “built on mutual respect and profound confidence.”

Expanding Strategic Cooperation

The meeting yielded a number of important deals regarding defence and economic cooperation. A cornerstone agreement was the completion of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which sets a goal to boost bilateral trade to $100bn per year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore pledged to restructure their defence ties. Even as Russia remains India's biggest supplier of defence equipment, the volume has declined over the past decade as India has sought broaden its supply base.

Their communique emphasized cooperation in the co-development of sophisticated defence platforms, even if direct reference of purchases such as the Sukhoi Su-57 were not made.

Overall, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that in the “ongoing challenging, strained, and uncertain geopolitical situation, their relationship continue to be durable to foreign influence.”