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Amid a defiant statement to the United States, Leader Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to guarantee “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came as the two leaders met in Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “resistant to outside influence.”

A Statement Aimed at the West

Putin's comments, made on Friday, was widely seen to be targeted at western countries, that have repeatedly attempted to urge New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding relations with Moscow. The context is in response to previous Washington's moves, notably additional tariffs against Indian goods over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Our nation is a dependable exporter of energy resources and all necessary for the advancement of India’s energy sector,” Putin stated. “We are ready to continue ensuring the consistent supply of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not mentioning oil explicitly, reinforced the sentiment by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and crucial cornerstone of the bilateral partnership.”

Challenging American Pressure

Before the summit, via a media interview, Putin had challenged US interference on India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “If the US has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, then why can't India have the same privilege?”

This trip was his first visit to India since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides undertook a visible effort to display that the bond between the men remained intact.

A Personal Welcome

In a rare move, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin right off the plane. They embraced warmly akin to close allies before holding a private dinner together.

The Indian prime minister later described India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and said it was “built on shared respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Bilateral Ties

The meeting resulted in several key agreements regarding military and economic cooperation. One significant result was the completion of an economic cooperation programme aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold commerce to $100bn annually by the target year.

Furthermore agreed to restructure their military partnership. Even as Russia remains India's largest supplier of weapons, its share has declined over the past decade as India works to broaden its sources.

The joint statement highlighted plans for the co-development of advanced military systems, though specific reference of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were not made.

In conclusion, Russia and India affirmed that in the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and uncertain geopolitical situation, their relationship remain strong to foreign influence.”