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During a defiant statement to the United States, President Vladimir Putin informed PM Narendra Modi that Russia is prepared to maintain “uninterrupted” deliveries of energy resources to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in New Delhi and asserted their bilateral ties were “immune to outside influence.”

A Message For the West

The statement, delivered Friday, seemed to be a pointed rebuke at the United States and its allies, which have repeatedly attempted to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its close ties with Moscow. The context comes after earlier American measures, such as the introduction of import duties against Indian goods over its acquisition of discounted Russian crude.

“Our nation is a reliable supplier of energy resources and all necessary for the growth of India’s industry,” the Russian president remarked. “Moscow stands willing to keep guaranteeing the steady flow of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

The Indian leader, though he did not naming energy directly, supported the focus by stating that “secure fuel supplies has been a robust and vital foundation of the India-Russia alliance.”

Challenging US Interference

Before the summit, in a media interview, Putin had criticized US interference regarding India's oil imports. The president questioned, “Should America is entitled to buy our atomic materials, how can you deny India claim the identical right?”

Putin's arrival was his maiden trip to India since the start of the situation in Ukraine, and the two nations undertook a clear attempt to demonstrate that the bond between the heads of state remained intact.

An Unusual Welcome

In a unusual step, the Indian PM met Putin right off the plane. The two shared a warm hug as longtime companions before holding a closed-door supper on Thursday evening.

Modi in his statement called India's alliance with Russia as “a lodestar” and noted it was “built on reciprocal esteem and deep trust.”

Strengthening Bilateral Partnerships

The meeting yielded a number of key agreements regarding military and trade relations. One significant result was the signing of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which sets a goal to increase twofold mutual trade to one hundred billion dollars each year by the end of the decade.

Furthermore agreed to restructure their strategic cooperation. Even as Russia remains India's biggest supplier of arms, its share has reduced over the past decade as India has sought widen its sources.

The joint statement emphasized plans for the joint production of advanced military systems, although specific reference of deals for the Sukhoi Su-57 were left out.

Ultimately, Moscow and Delhi reiterated that during the “ongoing challenging, difficult, and unpredictable geopolitical situation, their relationship continue to be resilient to outside forces.”