Vladimir Putin has told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, that Russia is ready to continue “uninterrupted” shipments of oil to India, signalling a defiant stance as the two leaders met in Delhi and affirmed that their ties were “resilient to external pressure”.

The statement, made on Friday after the annual India-Russia summit, appeared to be directed at western countries – particularly the US – that have attempted to pressure New Delhi into scaling back its ties to Moscow.

The US president, Donald Trump, in August imposed an additional 25% import tariff on India over its purchase of cheap Russian oil, arguing it was undermining US sanctions and helping Putin bankroll the invasion of Ukraine.

The punitive tariffs were met with anger in New Delhi and described by the Indian gov

See Full Page