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During a defiant statement to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to guarantee “unbroken” supplies of crude oil to India. The announcement came during a summit where both heads of state met in the Indian capital and declared their relationship were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Signal For the Western Countries

The statement, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a direct challenge at the United States and its allies, which have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its historical relations with Moscow. This comes comes after earlier Washington's moves, including the imposition of trade penalties against Indian goods because of its acquisition of Moscow's energy exports.

“Moscow remains a reliable supplier of oil and gas and all required for the growth of India’s energy sector,” Putin said. “Russia is prepared to continue guaranteeing the consistent supply of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, while not mentioning oil specifically, supported the sentiment by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and vital pillar of the India-Russia cooperation.”

Challenging American Pressure

In the lead-up to the summit, during a television interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance regarding India's oil imports. He argued, “When Washington has the right to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India claim the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival represented his first trip to India after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi made a deliberate attempt to demonstrate that the friendship between the two leaders was undisturbed.

An Unusual Reception

Employing an unusual move, Prime Minister Modi met Putin right off the plane. Both leaders shared a warm hug as longtime companions before having a closed-door supper the night before the summit.

He referred to India's alliance with Russia as “a guiding star” and added it was “built on reciprocal esteem and strong faith.”

Strengthening Bilateral Ties

Friday's talks yielded several important deals across defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an joint economic plan that runs to 2030, which targets to boost commerce to $100bn each year by the end of the decade.

Additionally pledged to recalibrate their military partnership. While Russia is still India's biggest source of arms, the volume has reduced over the past decade as India has sought diversify its procurement.

The official release highlighted an agreement on the co-development of sophisticated military systems, even if specific mention of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were omitted.

Overall, both nations reiterated that in the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and uncertain geopolitical situation, Russian-Indian ties stay strong to external pressure.”