🔗 Share this article

Amid a unambiguous signal to Western nations, President Vladimir Putin has told PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to guarantee “uninterrupted” shipments of oil to India. This declaration came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and affirmed their relationship were “resilient to external pressure.”

A Statement Aimed at the United States

The statement, issued after the annual summit, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at Washington, which have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its historical ties with Moscow. The backdrop is in response to earlier American measures, notably the imposition of tariffs against Indian goods due to its acquisition of Moscow's energy exports.

“Our nation is a trustworthy source of fuel and anything necessary for the development of India’s industry,” Putin remarked. “Russia is prepared to continue securing the steady delivery of fuel for the fast-expanding Indian economy.”

Prime Minister Modi, without mentioning oil explicitly, supported the sentiment by saying that “secure fuel supplies has been a strong and crucial pillar of the bilateral alliance.”

Challenging Washington's Stance

Prior to the meeting, during a TV appearance, Putin had challenged Washington's stance over India's oil imports. Putin stated, “If the US is entitled to buy our atomic materials, why shouldn’t India enjoy the equivalent access?”

Putin's arrival represented his first visit to India since the onset of the situation in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi undertook a deliberate attempt to display that the friendship between the men persisted strongly.

A Personal Greeting

Taking an unusual move, Prime Minister Modi met Putin upon his arrival. They shared a warm hug akin to close allies before holding a closed-door supper together.

He referred to India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and said it was “founded on shared respect and profound confidence.”

Expanding Bilateral Ties

The bilateral summit produced several key agreements across defence and trade relations. A cornerstone agreement was the signing of an economic cooperation programme aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to boost bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars annually by the target year.

The leaders also pledged to recalibrate their defence ties. Even as Russia remains India's biggest source of arms, its share has reduced lately as India aims to broaden its procurement.

The joint statement stressed an agreement on the co-development of cutting-edge defence platforms, even if explicit reference of systems like the Su-57 fighter jet were not made.

Ultimately, Russia and India affirmed that in the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and unpredictable international environment, Russian-Indian ties stay resilient to external pressure.”