Sri Lanka, July 4 -- India and the United States have agreed to sign a new 10-year defence partnership framework when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, meet later this year, a Pentagon spokesperson has said.

This was decided in a phone conversation between Singh and Hegseth on Tuesday, senior US Defence spokesman Colonel Chris Devine said in a statement.

Hegseth also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Pentagon on Tuesday.

"On July 1, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth spoke with India's Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh. Secretary Hegseth emphasised the priority the US places on India as its key defence partner in South Asia. Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh reviewed the considerable...