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Amid a unambiguous signal to the United States, President Vladimir Putin has told PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to maintain “uninterrupted” supplies of oil to India. These remarks came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and declared their relationship were “resistant to foreign coercion.”

A Message Directed at the West

The statement, made on Friday, appeared to be targeted at Washington, which have repeatedly attempted to compel New Delhi into reducing its longstanding links with Moscow. This comes is in response to previous Washington's moves, including the introduction of trade penalties against Indian goods due to its acquisition of Russian oil.

“Moscow remains a reliable supplier of oil and gas and anything needed for the growth of India’s energy sector,” he remarked. “Russia is prepared to keep securing the uninterrupted delivery of energy for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not naming energy directly, reinforced the focus by saying that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and vital foundation of the Indo-Russian partnership.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Prior to the meeting, during a media interview, Putin had questioned Washington's stance on India's oil imports. Putin stated, “If the US is entitled to buy our nuclear fuel, how can you deny India have the identical right?”

The visit represented his initial journey to India since the onset of the war in Ukraine, and both sides engaged in a visible effort to display that the personal rapport between the heads of state remained intact.

A Warm Welcome

Taking an unusual step, Modi personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. Both leaders exchanged a hearty embrace like close allies before having a one-on-one meal the night before the summit.

The Indian prime minister later described India's relationship with Russia as “a lodestar” and added it was “based on mutual respect and deep trust.”

Reaffirming Strategic Ties

The bilateral summit resulted in several key agreements regarding defence and economic cooperation. A major outcome was the completion of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which targets to boost commerce to $100bn annually by the 2030 deadline.

Additionally agreed to reshape their military partnership. Although Russia is still India's biggest source of defence equipment, this role has reduced over the past decade as India aims to diversify its procurement.

Their communique highlighted plans for the co-development of sophisticated military systems, although direct details of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were omitted.

Ultimately, both nations reiterated that during the “ongoing challenging, tense, and uncertain global landscape, their relationship continue to be strong to outside forces.”