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Amid a defiant statement to the United States, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “unbroken” shipments of oil to India. This declaration came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “resilient to outside influence.”

A Message For the West

The statement, made on Friday, appeared to be targeted at Washington, which have tried to urge New Delhi into curtailing its historical ties with Moscow. This comes comes after earlier American measures, such as the imposition of trade penalties targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Moscow remains a dependable supplier of energy resources and anything needed for the development of India’s energy sector,” he stated. “We are ready to keep guaranteeing the uninterrupted supply of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not referencing crude explicitly, echoed the theme by stating that “a stable energy base has been a robust and crucial cornerstone of the Indo-Russian cooperation.”

Questioning American Pressure

Prior to the meeting, during a TV appearance, Putin had questioned American pressure regarding India's dealings with Russia. Putin stated, “When Washington can claim the privilege to buy our atomic materials, why shouldn’t India enjoy the same privilege?”

Putin's arrival marked his maiden journey to India after the start of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations engaged in a clear effort to display that the friendship between the two leaders remained intact.

A Personal Reception

Employing an unusual step, Prime Minister Modi met Putin as he disembarked. The two shared a warm hug as close allies before having a private dinner the night before the summit.

He in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “built on reciprocal esteem and profound confidence.”

Expanding Strategic Ties

The meeting resulted in multiple key agreements in the fields of military and financial collaboration. One significant result was the completion of an strategic roadmap extending until 2030, which targets to double bilateral trade to $100bn annually by the target year.

Furthermore vowed to reshape their strategic cooperation. Although Russia remains India's biggest exporter of defence equipment, this role has reduced in recent years as India works to broaden its supply base.

Their communique highlighted an agreement on the collaborative manufacturing of advanced weapons platforms, even if direct reference of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that amid the “current complex, strained, and volatile global landscape, Russian-Indian ties continue to be strong to external pressure.”