Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is ready to provide "uninterrupted shipments" of fuel to India, as Delhi faces pressure from the US to stop buying Russian oil.
Putin, speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, questioned why India should be punished for buying oil when the US itself buys nuclear fuel from Moscow.
President Donald Trump has imposed 50 percent tariffs on most Indian products, arguing that Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil helped fund the war in Ukraine, an accusation India denies.
Putin says Russia was working on a "peaceful solution" to ending the war, warning that Ukraine must withdraw from the Donbas or Russia would seize it.
Modi repeated India's stance that it was not neutral on the war in Ukraine and stood on "the side of peace", welcoming efforts to find a "lasting" solution to end the war.
He highlighted that increasing the "connectivity" of Russia and India was a "major priority" for India.
In recent months, India-US ties have hit an all time low as the two countries have failed to resolve the tariff deadlock.
Trump initially imposed a 25 percent tariff on India, but announced an additional 25 percent later as a penalty for Delhi's purchase of Russian oil, a move the Indian government called "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" at the time.
[Source: BBC News]
