🔗 Share this article

During a clear statement to the United States, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “continuous” shipments of oil to India. This declaration came during a summit where both heads of state met in Delhi and declared their relationship were “resistant to external pressure.”

A Signal For the West

This affirmation, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, that have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding ties with Moscow. This comes is in response to previous Washington's moves, such as additional tariffs against Indian goods because of its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a dependable exporter of energy resources and everything required for the growth of India’s energy sector,” Putin said. “Russia is prepared to continue ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of energy for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, without mentioning oil explicitly, echoed the theme by saying that “energy security has been a robust and vital cornerstone of the bilateral alliance.”

Defying US Interference

Before the summit, in a TV appearance, Putin had criticized Washington's stance regarding India's energy purchases. He argued, “If the US is entitled to buy our uranium, how can you deny India have the identical right?”

This trip was his maiden journey to India following the onset of the situation in Ukraine, and both sides made a visible attempt to display that the bond between the two leaders was undisturbed.

A Personal Greeting

In a unusual gesture, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin as he disembarked. Both leaders exchanged a hearty embrace as old friends before enjoying a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

The Indian prime minister later described India's alliance with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “built on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Reaffirming Strategic Ties

The bilateral summit resulted in multiple important deals in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the signing of an economic cooperation programme extending until 2030, which targets to increase twofold commerce to a hundred billion USD per year by the end of the decade.

Additionally vowed to restructure their military partnership. Although Russia is still India's biggest supplier of defence equipment, the volume has diminished lately as India works to broaden its procurement.

The official release highlighted plans for the joint production of sophisticated weapons platforms, though specific details of systems like the Su-57 fighter jet were not made.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that amid the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, Russian-Indian ties remain resilient to external pressure.”