🔗 Share this article

In a unambiguous message to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to guarantee “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came during a summit where both heads of state met in the Indian capital and asserted their relationship were “immune to outside influence.”

A Signal Aimed at the West

The statement, made on Friday, was widely seen to be a direct challenge at the United States and its allies, that have sought to urge New Delhi into scaling back its historical ties with Moscow. The backdrop follows recent Washington's moves, such as additional import duties on India because of its buying of Russian oil.

“Moscow remains a reliable source of energy resources and anything necessary for the growth of India’s industry,” Putin stated. “Moscow stands willing to continue ensuring the consistent flow of energy for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not mentioning oil specifically, echoed the sentiment by saying that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and important foundation of the Indo-Russian alliance.”

Questioning American Pressure

In the lead-up to the talks, via a television interview, Putin had challenged Washington's stance on India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our uranium, how can you deny India claim the identical right?”

Putin's arrival was his initial visit to India after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and the two nations engaged in a deliberate effort to project that the personal rapport between the men persisted strongly.

An Unusual Welcome

Taking an rare step, Prime Minister Modi welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. Both leaders shared a warm hug akin to longtime companions before holding a one-on-one meal on Thursday evening.

He referred to India's alliance with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “based on reciprocal esteem and strong faith.”

Expanding Bilateral Ties

The meeting resulted in a number of key agreements in the fields of defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which aims to increase twofold bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars per year by the end of the decade.

The leaders also agreed to restructure their defence ties. Even as Russia remains India's biggest source of defence equipment, the volume has diminished lately as India has sought widen its sources.

The official release highlighted plans for the joint production of advanced military systems, though explicit mention of systems like the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

In conclusion, Russia and India affirmed that in the “present intricate, tense, and volatile international environment, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be resilient to outside forces.”