Russian president Vladimir Putin told Indian prime minister Narendra Modi that Moscow is ready to maintain “uninterrupted” oil supplies to India, asserting a firm stance against US pressure as the two leaders met in Delhi for their annual summit.

The statement, delivered on December 5, came after months of tension between Washington and New Delhi. In August, US president Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% import tariff on India over its continued purchase of discounted Russian oil, arguing that the trade undermined US sanctions and helped fund Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi condemned the tariffs as unreasonable and unjustified.

Putin’s remarks appeared aimed at western governments seeking to curtail India’s energy relationship with Russia. Calling Russia “a reliable supplier of energy resources,” he pledged continued fuel deliveries to support India’s “rapidly growing” economy. Modi, while not mentioning oil directly, stressed that energy security remains a “strong and important pillar” of the India-Russia partnership.

Ahead of the summit, Putin dismissed US objections to India’s oil purchases, questioning why the US could buy Russian nuclear fuel while urging New Delhi to refrain from similar transactions.

Putin’s visit, his first to India since launching the invasion of Ukraine, was marked by an overt display of warmth. Modi greeted him at the airport, and the two leaders shared a private dinner Thursday evening. Modi described the partnership as “a guiding star” grounded in “mutual respect and deep trust,” while their joint statement emphasized that bilateral ties “remain resilient to external pressure” amid global geopolitical uncertainty.

The summit yielded several new agreements, including an economic cooperation programme aimed at doubling annual bilateral trade to $100bn by 2030. India and Russia also agreed to reshape their longstanding defense partnership. Although no specific weapons systems were mentioned, the two sides committed to joint production of advanced defense platforms. Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier, despite India’s recent efforts to diversify its defense imports.

Putin has signalled a broader intention to deepen cooperation with India and China as Moscow faces extensive US and EU sanctions.