Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, as he reached a deal in a New Delhi summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “reshape” their defence ties amid intensive United States pressure.

“Russia is a reliable supplier of oil, gas, coal, and everything that is required for the development of India’s energy,” Putin told Modi following their bilateral meeting, which was also dominated by discussions about sanctions, tariffs and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We are ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the fast-growing Indian economy.”

The two leaders also pledged to reshape their defence ties to take account of New Delhi’s push for “self-reliance”.

“The partnership is currently being reoriented toward joint research and development, as well as the production of advanced defence platforms,” their joint statement said.

Friday’s summit is Putin’s first visit to India since the start of Russia’s full-fledged war on Ukraine in 2022, and comes as India is seeking a reprieve from punishing US tariffs related to its purchase of Russian oil.

Modi thanked Putin for his “unwavering commitment towards India”, and said “energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership.”

While he referenced nuclear power, Modi made no specific reference to Russian oil purchase, which had earlier resulted in the imposition of a 50 percent US tariff on most Indian products.

Modi addressed “my friend” Putin and praised New Delhi and Moscow’s longstanding ties.

“We have agreed on an economic cooperation programme until 2030,” Modi told Putin, after officials exchanged a number of agreements spanning jobs, health, shipping, and chemicals.

“This will ensure that our trade and investment are diversified, balanced, and sustainable.”

Putin’s visit comes as Moscow hopes to boost ties with India, already the top buyer of Russian arms. Officials have said they want to increase trade with India to $100bn by 2030 – up from an already all-time high of $68bn in 2024.

Friday’s agenda began with a morning visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, for a meeting with India’s ceremonial head of state, Droupadi Murmu. Murmu was joined by Modi in welcoming Putin with an honour guard ceremony.

Putin then travelled to Raj Ghat and placed a wreath at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the anti-colonial movement that paved the way to Indian independence.

Putin and Modi then proceeded to hold meetings at the Hyderabad House complex.

Al Jazeera’s Neha Poonia, reporting from New Delhi, said Putin’s trip was held with “much fanfare”.

On Thursday, Modi gave Putin a warm welcome, personally greeting him on the tarmac in New Delhi with a hug and a handshake. He later hosted the Russian leader for a private dinner at his residence.

“There were a lot of hugs and handshakes,” Poonia noted. “The focus now is on the bilateral meeting on Friday. Experts say that the two leaders will try to project that the Russian leader is not a pariah, and that countries like India welcome him despite the pressure from Western nations.”

Putin had an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued in 2023 for his arrest over the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia’s war with Ukraine. India is not a member state of the ICC and is not bound by its treaty or rules. Putin was able to travel to India without any fear of arrest.

The Russian leader is set to depart India at 9pm (15:30 GMT).

A balancing act

Russia and India have had a strategic partnership for 25 years, stretching back to Putin’s first year as the country’s head of state.

However, the balancing act between maintaining ties with both the US and Russia has become more difficult in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian operation disrupted a longstanding tradition of the leaders trading annual visits. That partially resumed last year, when Modi visited Russia.

As Western countries curtailed their reliance on Russian crude oil amid the war, India ramped up its purchases.

But in August, the US doubled the 25 percent tariffs it had previously imposed on Indian goods to 50 percent, as a penalty for India’s Russian oil purchases, with Trump looking to pressure Putin into accepting a ceasefire.

India, however, continued buying Russian oil.

That is now changing: In November, Trump’s sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil went into effect, along with a threat of sanctions against companies from other countries that trade with these firms.

Purchases from the two companies account for about 60 percent of India’s oil imports.

New Delhi has said it was being unfairly targeted, noting that Western nations continue to do business with Moscow when it is in their interests. Speaking to Indian journalists in an interview before he arrived in New Delhi, Putin made a similar argument.

“The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants,” he said.

He added that if the US has the right to buy Russian fuel, India should enjoy “the same privilege”.

Putin was also expected to push India to buy more Russian weapons, another area where New Delhi has faced pressure from Washington.

Moscow has been hoping to sell India additional S-400 missile defence systems and Su-57 stealth fighter jets. But it was unclear if any agreement covering weapons was reached.

Friday’s meeting comes days after Putin met with a US delegation in Moscow, pushing for an end to the war in Ukraine. Both sides hailed progress after the meeting, but no breakthrough was reached.

On Thursday, US officials met with a Ukrainian delegation.