India-China Border Face-off : At the Corps Commander level talks held between the two sides and which ran for over 10 hours, sources have said they were conducted in a “cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere,” and “there was a mutual consensus to disengage with modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh being discussed and that they will be taken forward by both sides.”

At the Congress Working Committee meeting today, party president Sonia Gandhi blamed the “wrong policies” and mismanagement of Narendra Modi-led NDA government for much of the border crisis. Former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh endorsed Gandhi’s remarks and said that if the crisis on the border is not tackled firmly, it can lead to a “serious situation.”

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is hosting the Russia-India-China (RIC)trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting, which will be the first opportunity for External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for face-time with each other over videoconference. Jaishankar and Wang, who is also Chinese State Councillor, had an angry phone call on June 17 over the June 15 border clash.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Moscow Monday night to start a three-day visit. Singh and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, will attend the Victory Day parade on June 24, along with Indian and Chinese marching contingents. Singh will meet the Russian defence brass and is expected to review supplies of defence equipment in the coming months.