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During a clear message to the West, Leader Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to provide “continuous” supplies of energy resources to India. This declaration came during a summit where both heads of state met in New Delhi and asserted their partnership were “resilient to foreign coercion.”

A Message For the Western Countries

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, who have sought to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its close relations with Moscow. The backdrop follows earlier Washington's moves, notably the introduction of trade penalties on India due to its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Moscow remains a reliable source of energy resources and all needed for the growth of India’s economy,” he said. “We are ready to persist in ensuring the steady delivery of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, though he did not referencing crude directly, reinforced the focus by stating that “energy security has been a strong and crucial cornerstone of the Indo-Russian cooperation.”

Questioning American Pressure

Before the talks, via a television interview, Putin had challenged Washington's stance on India's energy purchases. Putin stated, “When Washington can claim the privilege to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit represented his first journey to India after the onset of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations made a clear attempt to project that the friendship between the men persisted strongly.

An Unusual Welcome

Taking an unusual gesture, Modi personally greeted Putin as he disembarked. The two embraced warmly as close allies before holding a one-on-one meal the night before the summit.

Modi later described India's relationship with Russia as “a beacon” and added it was “built on reciprocal esteem and deep trust.”

Strengthening Strategic Cooperation

The meeting resulted in several key agreements in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. One significant result was the completion of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which aims to boost mutual trade to $100bn annually by the target year.

The leaders also vowed to reshape their defence ties. While Russia is still India's primary exporter of weapons, its share has declined over the past decade as India works to diversify its supply base.

The joint statement emphasized plans for the joint production of advanced military systems, even if explicit reference of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were not made.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that during the “current complex, difficult, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, the Indo-Russian partnership remain resilient to outside forces.”