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During a clear message to the United States, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to maintain “continuous” supplies of energy resources to India. The announcement came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “resilient to foreign coercion.”

A Signal Aimed at the United States

This affirmation, issued after the annual summit, appeared to be a direct challenge at western countries, which have repeatedly attempted to compel New Delhi into scaling back its close relations with Moscow. This comes is in response to earlier Washington's moves, including the imposition of trade penalties targeting New Delhi over its buying of Russian oil.

“Moscow remains a trustworthy supplier of oil and gas and anything necessary for the growth of India’s industry,” Putin said. “We are ready to keep ensuring the steady delivery of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, while not naming energy explicitly, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a key and crucial foundation of the India-Russia partnership.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Before the talks, during a television interview, Putin had questioned American pressure over India's energy purchases. He argued, “If the US is entitled to buy our nuclear fuel, then why can't India have the equivalent access?”

This trip marked his initial journey to India since the onset of the war in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi made a clear effort to demonstrate that the personal rapport between the men was undisturbed.

An Unusual Welcome

In a rare gesture, Modi welcomed directly Putin upon his arrival. The two shared a warm hug as old friends before enjoying a one-on-one meal together.

He in his statement called India's partnership with Russia as “a beacon” and noted it was “founded on shared respect and deep trust.”

Reaffirming Bilateral Cooperation

Friday's talks yielded a number of significant pacts in the fields of defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an strategic roadmap that runs to 2030, which targets to increase twofold mutual trade to one hundred billion dollars per year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore vowed to reshape their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia continues to be India's biggest exporter of weapons, the volume has reduced in recent years as India works to broaden its procurement.

Their communique stressed cooperation in the collaborative manufacturing of cutting-edge military systems, though explicit mention of deals for the fifth-generation aircraft were not made.

In conclusion, both nations restated that amid the “present intricate, tense, and unpredictable global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be durable to external pressure.”