Despite tariff heat, ties with US remain robust: MEA

Says talks on with China to facilitate resumption of border trade

- ARCHIS MOHAN

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday stressed that despite tensions over tariffs that the White House has imposed on Indian goods, New Delhi's ties with Washington remained robust, including the bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.

A United States (US) Defence Policy Team will be in Delhi in mid-August, while the 21st edition of the joint military exercise, Yudh Abhyas, is expected to take place later this month in Alaska, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the ministry's weekly media briefing here.

About Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's meeting in Alaska on Friday, the MEA endorsed the upcoming summit. The meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace, Jaiswal said. The MEA said New Delhi was yet to decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September.