What US Secretary of War said about info sharing with India after meeting Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur

"Defence will remain a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region," said India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after signing a 10-year defence framework agreement with US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth.

The pact was sealed at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur amid efforts by the two sides to repair ties that came under severe strain following Washington's slapping of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. The duo are in Malaysia to attend a meeting of a grouping of nations comprising ASEAN member states and some of its dialogue partners.

"We signed the 10-year 'Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership'. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership... It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership," Singh said after talks with Hegseth.

"It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership... the framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship," news agency ANI quoted the 'Raksha Mantri' as adding.

Meanwhile, Hegseth said that India-US ties were salient for the region's stability. "This advances our defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence. We're enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger," he said on X while sharing images alongside Singh.

As Washington looks to tackle China's growing assertiveness in the region, Hegseth is expected to meet the defence ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, among others.