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During a unambiguous signal to the United States, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “continuous” shipments of crude oil to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “immune to foreign coercion.”

A Signal For the Western Countries

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a direct challenge at western countries, which have sought to compel New Delhi into reducing its close links with Moscow. The backdrop follows earlier Washington's moves, including the imposition of import duties targeting New Delhi because of its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Moscow remains a reliable source of fuel and everything required for the growth of India’s industry,” the Russian president remarked. “We are ready to keep guaranteeing the steady flow of resources for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Modi, without mentioning oil explicitly, echoed the theme by noting that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and crucial foundation of the India-Russia partnership.”

Challenging American Pressure

Prior to the talks, during a media interview, Putin had questioned US interference regarding India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “If the US is entitled to buy our nuclear fuel, how can you deny India have the same privilege?”

This trip was his first journey to India following the onset of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations engaged in a visible show to demonstrate that the bond between the men persisted strongly.

A Warm Greeting

Taking an rare step, Prime Minister Modi personally greeted Putin right off the plane. They embraced warmly akin to old friends before enjoying a closed-door supper together.

The Indian prime minister in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and said it was “founded on shared respect and strong faith.”

Reaffirming Bilateral Partnerships

The meeting produced multiple key agreements across defence and financial collaboration. A major outcome was the signing of an strategic roadmap extending until 2030, which targets to boost mutual trade to a hundred billion USD per year by the end of the decade.

Additionally vowed to recalibrate their military partnership. Although Russia is still India's primary exporter of weapons, its share has diminished lately as India aims to widen its supply base.

The joint statement highlighted plans for the joint production of sophisticated military systems, even if specific reference of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were left out.

Overall, Russia and India reiterated that during the “current complex, difficult, and unpredictable global landscape, Russian-Indian ties stay strong to external pressure.”