Telephonic talks between Rajnath Singh, US counterpart not to be held today

The scheduled telephonic talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Mark Esper will not be held on Tuesday, Defence Ministry officials said.

It is being rescheduled for a later date, as per officials.

Meanwhile, the third round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China to discuss and diffuse the tension over the ongoing dispute along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh is being held, sources said.

The first two rounds had taken place in Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC. In the second round of Corps Commander-level talks held on June 22, both sides reached a mutual consensus to disengage in the Eastern Ladakh sector, Army sources said.

India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. Twenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley on June 15-16 after an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation.

Indian intercepts revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the face-off.

( With inputs from ANI )