🔗 Share this article

During a defiant signal to the West, President Vladimir Putin stated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to maintain “uninterrupted” shipments of crude oil to India. These remarks came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “immune to foreign coercion.”

A Message For the Western Countries

The statement, made on Friday, seemed to be a direct challenge at Washington, which have tried to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its longstanding links with Moscow. This comes is in response to earlier Washington's moves, such as the imposition of tariffs targeting New Delhi over its acquisition of Russian oil.

“Moscow remains a dependable source of energy resources and all needed for the growth of India’s energy sector,” the Russian president stated. “We are ready to keep ensuring the uninterrupted flow of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, without naming energy explicitly, echoed the focus by noting that “energy security has been a key and vital cornerstone of the Indo-Russian cooperation.”

Questioning Washington's Stance

Before the talks, via a television interview, Putin had questioned US interference regarding India's energy purchases. He argued, “If the US is entitled to buy our uranium, how can you deny India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit was his maiden trip to India after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and both sides engaged in a visible effort to display that the personal rapport between the two leaders was undisturbed.

A Personal Greeting

Taking an rare step, the Indian PM personally greeted Putin as he disembarked. Both leaders shared a warm hug like close allies before having a one-on-one meal together.

Modi in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and added it was “based on reciprocal esteem and strong faith.”

Strengthening Bilateral Partnerships

Friday's talks resulted in a number of important deals across defence and trade relations. One significant result was the finalization of an economic cooperation programme aimed at 2030, which aims to increase twofold mutual trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia remains India's primary supplier of weapons, this role has reduced lately as India has sought widen its sources.

Their communique stressed plans for the collaborative manufacturing of cutting-edge military systems, although direct details of deals for the Su-57 fighter jet were left out.

In conclusion, Russia and India restated that during the “ongoing challenging, tense, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, their relationship continue to be resilient to outside forces.”