Russia ready to provide ‘uninterrupted’ fuel supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to provide “uninterrupted” fuel shipments to India as Delhi faces pressure from the United States to stop buying Russian oil.

Speaking earlier in Delhi alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin questioned why India should be punished for buying oil when the United States itself buys nuclear fuel from Moscow.

President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariff on most Indian productsarguing that Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil are financing the war in Ukraine – a charge India denies.

Putin’s visit comes as the United States holds a series of talks with Russia and Ukraine to try to reach a peace deal to end the war.

On Thursday, Putin told India Today that Russia was working on a “peaceful solution” to end the war and warned Ukraine that it must withdraw its troops from Donbass. Otherwise Russia will seize it.

“Either we use force to liberate these territories, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories,” he said.

Modi reiterated India’s position that it is not neutral on the war in Ukraine but is on the “side of peace” and welcomed efforts to find a “durable” solution to end the war.

He emphasized that strengthening the “connectivity” between Russia and India is India’s “primary task.”

India-U.S. relations have been in trouble in recent months all time low As the two countries fail to resolve the tariff standoff.

Trump initially imposed 25% tariffs on India, but later announced an additional 25% as punishment for Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil – a move the Indian government called “unfair, unjust and unreasonable” at the time.

In an interview with India Today, Putin commented on the tariffs imposed by the United States on India’s purchase of Russian oil and said that India should have the same opportunities as the United States.

“The US itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants. If the US has the right to buy our fuel, why shouldn’t India have the same privilege?” he asked.

Russia remained the largest nuclear reactor fuel supplier to the United States last year Bloomberg reported in September – Citing data from the Department of Energy. A ban on the import of enriched uranium from the country was written into law in May.

The two leaders exchanged memos at a briefing on Friday, outlining common goals in areas such as trade and agriculture.

Modi announced two new 30-day visa schemes for Russian tourists traveling to India and said India had opened two new consulates in Russia.

The prime minister said Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded state-controlled television network, will also be launched in India.

No major defense deal was announced, but the two said they had signed agreements on shipbuilding, civilian nuclear energy and investment in critical minerals.

India and Russia have also agreed on an economic plan that will be valid until 2030 and cover employment, shipping and health sectors, the two leaders said.

Putin said he is confident that the current bilateral trade volume will increase from US$60 billion to US$100 billion in the next few years.

“Energy security has always been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership,” Modi said, without mentioning oil specifically.

India, the world’s third-largest crude oil consumer, has been buying large amounts of crude oil from Russia since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But some Indian companies have started reducing oil imports from Russia to comply with U.S. sanctions.

Putin also mentioned a “flagship project”: building India’s largest nuclear power plant, which he said Moscow would help.

In a joint statement released after the meeting, the two leaders said their partnership was being “repositioned towards joint research and development as well as the production of advanced defense platforms.”

Putin added that he and Modi were cooperating on foreign policy and that their BRICS alliance was committed to promoting a “more just” and “multipolar” world.

The BRIC countries are an informal alliance composed of several major developing countries such as India, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa. It was established in 2006 with the main goal of challenging the political and economic power of North American and Western European countries.