Rajnath Singh holds delegation-level talks with US counterpart at Pentagon

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III held delegation-level talks at the Pentagon ahead of India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III held delegation-level talks at the Pentagon ahead of India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue. Rajnath Singh, who is on a five-day US visit, arrived at the Pentagon for a bilateral meeting with Austin.

Austin welcomed Rajnath Singh in an enhanced honour cordon ceremony at the Pentagon. The Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Washington on Sunday for the fourth 2+2 dialogue with their US counterparts.

The 2+2 dialogue comes amidst the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting on Ukraine today. US State Department Blinken will also hold a meeting with Jaishankar before the 2+2 dialogue. The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi.

India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional meeting in September last year in Washington and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Indian Ocean. (ANI)