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Putin challenges US pressure on India over Russian oil during state visit

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Putin challenges US pressure on India over Russian oil during state visit

Putin questions US pressure on India’s Russian oil purchases as Modi gives the Russian president a warm welcome.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has questioned Washington’s stance on India’s oil purchases from Moscow, pointing to US imports of Russian nuclear fuel as he began a state visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations.

Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening to a warm airport reception from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who embraced the Russian leader in a rare gesture that underscored their personal rapport.

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The visit comes as India faces mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has imposed punitive tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi’s purchases of discounted Russian crude.

In an interview with Indian broadcasters before his arrival, Putin questioned the logic behind Washington’s criticism.

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“The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants,” he said, adding that if the US has the right to buy Russian fuel, India should enjoy “the same privilege”.

Modi posted on social media that he was “delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India,” calling their relationship “a time tested one that has greatly benefitted our people”.

After embracing on the tarmac, the two drove together to a private dinner at Modi’s residence.

Al Jazeera’s Neha Poonia, reporting from New Delhi, said the reception sent a clear message.

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“Experts say that the warm reception for President Putin [shows] that he is not a pariah, that there are countries that will accept him despite pressure from western nations,” over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she said, adding that Modi wanted to signal “he won’t give into pressure from Donald Trump.”

Putin defended the energy relationship, telling Indian media that cooperation with India “remains unaffected by political swings or the tragic events in Ukraine”.

He accused unnamed actors of seeking to “constrain India for political reasons” due to its growing international role.

The visit highlights India’s delicate balancing act between Moscow and Washington. India’s oil imports from Russia surged from just 2.5 percent of total crude purchases before 2022 to nearly 36 percent currently, making it the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian oil.

Indian refiners have saved approximately $12.20 per barrel by purchasing discounted Russian crude.

However, Trump has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods in retaliation, and recent US sanctions on major Russian oil producers have begun forcing Indian refiners to reduce purchases.

Reliance, India’s largest private refiner, has already announced it will stop exporting petroleum products made from Russian crude.

On Friday, Putin and Modi are expected to hold formal summit talks and announce agreements spanning defence cooperation, shipping, healthcare and labour mobility.

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Russia is pushing to sell India additional S-400 missile defence systems and Su-57 stealth fighter jets, while both sides aim to reach $100bn in bilateral trade by 2030, though the target now appears distant as oil imports decline.

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Venezuela releases all known American detainees after Maduro’s capture and government takeover

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Venezuela releases all known American detainees after Maduro’s capture and government takeover

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All known American citizens being held in Venezuela have been released, the U.S. Embassy said Friday evening. 

“We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known U.S. citizens held in Venezuela,” the embassy wrote on X. “Should you have information regarding any other U.S. citizens still detained, please contact American Citizen Services.”

No other details about the detainees were disclosed. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department. 

VENEZUELA’S DELCY RODRÍGUEZ SNAPS AT WASHINGTON, DECLARES ‘ENOUGH’ OF US INFLUENCE

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Venezuelans burn a U.S. flag after the announcement of the U.S. attacks and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.  The U.S. government on Friday said all known Americans being detained in the country had been released.  (Stringer/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Interim authorities have slowly released American detainees in the weeks since the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Both are being held in New York City on federal narco-terrorism charges. 

Earlier this month, Venezuela’s interim government reported that 116 prisoners had been released, although only about 70 have been verified by the non-governmental organization Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, according to Bloomberg.

STATE DEPT CONFIRMS ‘LIMITED NUMBER’ OF PERSONNEL IN CARACAS WORKING TO RESUME VENEZUELA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

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Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for Independence Day in Caracas July 5, 2025.  (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, the U.S. government announced a travel alert advising against travel to the country. Americans in the country were advised to depart immediately. 

“The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid. The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela, reiterating warnings against travel to Venezuela dating to 2019. As international flights have resumed, U.S. citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately.”

The country is being run by Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former lieutenant. 

This week, Rodriguez signed a law overhauling the nation’s oil sector, opening it to privatization and reversing a core policy of the socialist government that has ruled Venezuela for more than two decades.

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The State Department told Fox News a “limited number” of people are working on the ground in Venezuela. (Reuters)

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On Jan. 10, President Donald Trump said American energy companies will invest $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela’s “rotting” oil infrastructure and push production to record levels.

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Israeli forces kill 12 Palestinians across Gaza, attacks reported in Rafah

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Israeli forces kill 12 Palestinians across Gaza, attacks reported in Rafah

Multiple attacks across the besieged enclave a day before Israel is expected to reopen the Rafah border crossing.

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At least 12 Palestinians, half of them children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since dawn, a day before the Rafah crossing is due to reopen.

An Israeli air strike on Saturday on a tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area to the northwest of Khan Younis city killed at least seven Palestinians, including three children, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

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Their bodies were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.

In Gaza City, emergency services reported that at least five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on an apartment building in the Remal neighbourhood to the west of the city.

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Eight Palestinians were also injured in an Israeli bombing of an apartment building in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 524 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since a United States-brokered ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10.

Rafah reopening

Residents in the border town of Rafah also reported several air attacks in areas under Israeli control. Israel is due to reopen the Rafah crossing, which links Gaza with Egypt, on Sunday for the first time since May 2024.

The opening of the key entry point is part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. It was meant to open during the first phase of the ceasefire, but Israel refused to do so until the body of its last remaining captive was found.

Israel on Saturday said it would only allow a “limited movement of people” who have received security clearance by Israel to enter and exit. No aid or humanitarian supplies will be allowed to enter.

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“Only those who fled during the past two years are allowed to come back,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud explained. “Those who are born outside the Gaza Strip are not going to be allowed to come back.”

Hamas responded to the Rafah announcement by calling for Israel to allow movement in and out of Gaza “without restrictions”, and urged it to adhere to all aspects of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 71,600 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.

(Al Jazeera)
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Video: Canada’s Prime Minister Meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ Star on Red Carpet

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Video: Canada’s Prime Minister Meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ Star on Red Carpet

new video loaded: Canada’s Prime Minister Meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ Star on Red Carpet

The actor Hudson Williams gave Prime Minister Mark Carney a fictional Canada Olympic Team fleece jacket that his character wore on “Heated Rivalry,” which has become a global phenomenon.

By Axel Boada

January 30, 2026

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