🔗 Share this article Putin Pledges Continuous Energy Shipments to India in Snub of US Demands In a defiant message to Western nations, Leader Vladimir Putin stated to PM Narendra Modi that Russia stands ready to provide “continuous” shipments of oil to India. These remarks came as the two leaders met in Delhi and declared their bilateral ties were “immune to outside influence.” A Signal Aimed at the United States Putin's comments, made on Friday, appeared to be a pointed rebuke at western countries, that have sought to compel New Delhi into reducing its historical links with Moscow. The context follows recent Washington's moves, notably the imposition of tariffs against Indian goods over its buying of Russian oil. “Russia is a reliable supplier of fuel and anything needed for the development of India’s economy,” he stated. “We are ready to continue securing the uninterrupted delivery of energy for the rapidly growing Indian economy.” The Indian leader, without naming energy explicitly, reinforced the focus by saying that “energy security has been a strong and important foundation of the India-Russia alliance.” Questioning US Interference In the lead-up to the summit, during a TV appearance, Putin had challenged Washington's stance regarding India's oil imports. He argued, “If the US is entitled to buy our uranium, how can you deny India have the equivalent access?” Putin's arrival marked his initial journey to India since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Delhi made a clear show to demonstrate that the friendship between the heads of state persisted strongly. A Warm Reception Taking an notable step, Modi met Putin as he disembarked. The two shared a warm hug as longtime companions before having a one-on-one meal on Thursday evening. The Indian prime minister later described India's partnership with Russia as “a guiding star” and noted it was “founded on reciprocal esteem and profound confidence.” Expanding Bilateral Partnerships The bilateral summit produced several key agreements in the fields of defence and financial collaboration. One significant result was the signing of an economic cooperation programme aimed at 2030, which sets a goal to boost bilateral trade to one hundred billion dollars each year by the 2030 deadline. The leaders also pledged to recalibrate their strategic cooperation. Although Russia remains India's largest supplier of weapons, this role has diminished in recent years as India aims to broaden its sources. The joint statement highlighted plans for the joint production of sophisticated weapons platforms, even if explicit details of systems like the Su-57 fighter jet were omitted. Ultimately, both nations affirmed that during the “ongoing challenging, tense, and volatile global landscape, the Indo-Russian partnership remain resilient to outside forces.”