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In a clear signal to the United States, President Vladimir Putin has told PM Narendra Modi that Russia remains committed to provide “continuous” supplies of energy resources to India. These remarks came when Putin and Modi met in Delhi and affirmed their bilateral ties were “resilient to foreign coercion.”

A Statement For the Western Countries

Putin's comments, delivered Friday, was widely seen to be a pointed rebuke at Washington, that have tried to pressure New Delhi into curtailing its historical relations with Moscow. The backdrop is in response to previous Washington's moves, such as the imposition of tariffs on India due to its buying of Moscow's energy exports.

“Russia is a dependable supplier of fuel and everything needed for the advancement of India’s industry,” the Russian president stated. “Moscow stands willing to persist in securing the consistent flow of resources for the rapidly growing Indian economy.”

Modi, though he did not naming energy directly, echoed the focus by stating that “energy security has been a key and crucial foundation of the Indo-Russian cooperation.”

Challenging American Pressure

Prior to the summit, in a television interview, Putin had criticized Washington's stance on India's energy purchases. The president questioned, “Should America can claim the privilege to buy our atomic materials, then why can't India have the same privilege?”

This trip represented his first journey to India after the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi undertook a clear effort to display that the friendship between the two leaders remained intact.

A Personal Welcome

Taking an rare move, Modi welcomed directly Putin right off the plane. The two embraced warmly as longtime companions before holding a private dinner together.

The Indian prime minister later described India's relationship with Russia as “a lodestar” and noted it was “built on mutual respect and strong faith.”

Strengthening Strategic Partnerships

The meeting produced a number of significant pacts in the fields of defence and trade relations. A major outcome was the signing of an joint economic plan extending until 2030, which sets a goal to boost mutual trade to $100bn each year by the 2030 deadline.

The leaders also agreed to restructure their military partnership. While Russia is still India's biggest supplier of weapons, its share has diminished in recent years as India works to broaden its supply base.

The joint statement highlighted an agreement on the collaborative manufacturing of sophisticated defence platforms, even if direct reference of purchases such as the Su-57 fighter jet were not made.

In conclusion, Russia and India affirmed that in the “current complex, difficult, and unpredictable international environment, the Indo-Russian partnership continue to be resilient to foreign influence.”