Russian president challenges US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel in an Interview to Indian media
\nnewsa gency
\nnew delhi
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Friday to expand and diversify trade beyond oil and defence despite Western pressure on New Delhi to scale back its decades-old close ties with Moscow.
\nIndia, the world\u2019s top buyer of Russian arms and seaborne oil, has rolled out the red carpet for Putin during his two-day state visit, his first to New Delhi since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
\nThe trip coincides with New Delhi\u2019s talks with the US on a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on its goods over India\u2019s purchases of Russian oil.
\nRussia has said it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100 billion by 2030. It has so far been skewed in Moscow\u2019s favour due to New Delhi\u2019s energy imports.
\nTies have \u2018stood test of time\u2019, says Modi
\nDescribing India\u2019s enduring partnership with Russia as \u201ca guiding star\u201d, Modi said: \u201cBased on mutual respect and deep trust, these relations have always stood the test of time.\u201d
\n\u201c[…]we have agreed on an economic cooperation programme for the period up to 2030. This will make our trade and investment more diversified, balanced, and sustainable,\u201d he told reporters, with Putin by his side.
\nModi, who warmly embraced Putin on the airport tarmac when he arrived on Thursday, also reiterated India\u2019s support for a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
\nPutin said Russia would continue to ensure \u201cuninterrupted fuel supplies\u201d to India, signalling a defiant stance in the face of US sanctions, and also flagged a project underway to build India\u2019s largest nuclear power plant at Kudankulam.
\nA joint statement issued following the summit said: \u201cThe leaders emphasised that in the current complex, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, Russian-Indian ties remain resilient to external pressure.\u201d
\n21-gun salute welcome
\nPutin received a ceremonial welcome on Friday on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the colonial-era presidential palace, with a 21-gun salute as his convoy drove in.
\nA large business and government delegation has accompanied Putin. Among the deals signed, the two countries agreed to help Indians move to Russia for work, to set up a joint venture fertiliser plant in Russia, and boost cooperation in agriculture, healthcare and shipping.
\nThey also agreed to reshape their defence ties to take account of New Delhi\u2019s push for self-reliance through joint research and development, as well as the production of advanced defence platforms. This would include joint production in India of spare parts, components, assemblies, and other products for servicing Russian weapons and military equipment.
\nPutin challenges Washington
\nIn an interview with broadcaster India Today aired late on Thursday, Putin challenged US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel.
\n\u201cIf the US has the right to buy our (nuclear) fuel, why shouldn\u2019t India have the same privilege?\u201d he said, adding that he would discuss the matter with Trump.
\nEnergy trade with India is \u201crunning smoothly\u201d despite a minor dip in the first nine months of 2025, he said.
\nIndia has said Trump\u2019s tariffs are unjustified and unreasonable, noting continued US trade with Moscow. The US and European Union still import billions of dollars worth of Russian energy and commodities, ranging from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium, despite economic sanctions.
\nSince European countries have sought to cut their reliance on Russian energy over the Ukraine war, India ramped up its purchases of discounted Russian crude, only to reduce them under pressure from US tariffs and sanctions this year.
\n\u201cIndia faces a conundrum; by taking steps to strengthen ties with Moscow or Washington, New Delhi risks setting back ties with the other,\u201d Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at Washington\u2019s Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in Foreign Policy magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russian president challenges US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel in an Interview to Indian media newsa gency new delhi Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Friday to expand and diversify trade beyond oil and defence despite Western pressure on New Delhi to scale back its decades-old […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-518401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n