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Amid a unambiguous message to the West, President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to maintain “continuous” supplies of energy resources to India. This declaration came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “resistant to external pressure.”

A Signal Aimed at the West

The statement, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be targeted at the United States and its allies, who have tried to urge New Delhi into curtailing its close links with Moscow. This comes follows earlier Washington's moves, including additional import duties against Indian goods because of its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a dependable source of fuel and anything needed for the growth of India’s industry,” the Russian president remarked. “Russia is prepared to keep securing the steady supply of energy for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not naming energy specifically, supported the theme by noting that “a stable energy base has been a robust and crucial cornerstone of the Indo-Russian cooperation.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Before the talks, during a TV appearance, Putin had criticized American pressure over India's oil imports. Putin stated, “When Washington has the right to buy our nuclear fuel, then why can't India have the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival represented his maiden journey to India following the onset of the war in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a visible effort to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the heads of state was undisturbed.

An Unusual Reception

In a rare step, Prime Minister Modi met Putin as he disembarked. They exchanged a hearty embrace as old friends before holding a private dinner the night before the summit.

He later described India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and noted it was “built on shared respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Strategic Partnerships

The bilateral summit yielded multiple key agreements in the fields of defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the completion of an strategic roadmap aimed at 2030, which aims to double mutual trade to a hundred billion USD annually by the target year.

The leaders also pledged to reshape their strategic cooperation. While Russia is still India's largest exporter of weapons, this role has diminished in recent years as India aims to widen its procurement.

The joint statement highlighted plans for the joint production of advanced military systems, though specific details of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

Overall, both nations restated that in the “current complex, tense, and uncertain international environment, the Indo-Russian partnership remain resilient to external pressure.”