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In a defiant statement to the West, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to guarantee “continuous” deliveries of energy resources to India. The announcement came as the two leaders met in Delhi and affirmed their partnership were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Signal For the Western Countries

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be targeted at Washington, who have tried to compel New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. This comes follows earlier Washington's moves, including the introduction of trade penalties against Indian goods due to its purchase of Russian oil.

“Moscow remains a trustworthy exporter of fuel and anything required for the development of India’s industry,” he stated. “Moscow stands willing to keep ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, echoed the focus by saying that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and vital foundation of the India-Russia cooperation.”

Defying US Interference

Before the talks, during a TV appearance, Putin had questioned American pressure over India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “If the US is entitled to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India enjoy the identical right?”

The visit was his initial visit to India since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides made a visible attempt to display that the personal rapport between the heads of state was undisturbed.

A Personal Reception

In a notable move, Prime Minister Modi met Putin right off the plane. The two embraced warmly akin to longtime companions before holding a one-on-one meal the night before the summit.

Modi referred to India's relationship with Russia as “a guiding star” and said it was “built on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Expanding Defence and Economic Ties

The bilateral summit yielded several key agreements across defence and economic cooperation. A cornerstone agreement was the completion of an strategic roadmap extending until 2030, which targets to double bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars annually by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to restructure their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia is still India's largest supplier of defence equipment, the volume has reduced over the past decade as India aims to widen its procurement.

The official release highlighted an agreement on the co-development of cutting-edge military systems, even if specific reference of systems like the Su-57 fighter jet were left out.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that during the “present intricate, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, their relationship remain strong to external pressure.”