🔗 Share this article

During a clear statement to the United States, President Vladimir Putin informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to provide “continuous” supplies of oil to India. These remarks came during a summit where both heads of state met in Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “immune to outside influence.”

A Message Directed at the West

Putin's comments, issued after the annual summit, seemed to be a direct challenge at Washington, who have sought to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its close relations with Moscow. This comes is in response to previous American measures, such as the introduction of trade penalties targeting New Delhi due to its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Moscow remains a reliable supplier of energy resources and anything necessary for the growth of India’s energy sector,” he stated. “Russia is prepared to continue ensuring the consistent supply of fuel for the booming Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not referencing crude specifically, echoed the sentiment by stating that “energy security has been a strong and vital foundation of the Indo-Russian alliance.”

Questioning American Pressure

In the lead-up to the meeting, via a media interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance over India's dealings with Russia. The president questioned, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our nuclear fuel, why shouldn’t India claim the equivalent access?”

The visit was his maiden visit to India since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and both sides made a deliberate attempt to project that the friendship between the heads of state was undisturbed.

A Warm Reception

Employing an unusual move, Modi personally greeted Putin upon his arrival. The two shared a warm hug akin to close allies before having a private dinner the night before the summit.

The Indian prime minister later described India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and added it was “based on shared respect and strong faith.”

Expanding Defence and Economic Cooperation

The bilateral summit produced several significant pacts in the fields of defence and economic cooperation. A cornerstone agreement was the completion of an strategic roadmap that runs to 2030, which aims to increase twofold mutual trade to $100bn per year by the end of the decade.

The leaders also pledged to restructure their defence ties. Even as Russia remains India's primary source of arms, this role has declined in recent years as India has sought widen its supply base.

Their communique emphasized an agreement on the collaborative manufacturing of advanced military systems, though direct mention of purchases such as the Su-57 fighter jet were left out.

In conclusion, Moscow and Delhi affirmed that amid the “ongoing challenging, strained, and unpredictable international environment, their relationship continue to be resilient to outside forces.”