NASA chief Bill Nelson.
| Photo Credit: AP

NASA administrator Bill Nelson has said that the U.S. space agency will expand collaboration with India and it will include a “joint effort” aboard the International Space Station with an Indian astronaut.

Mr. Nelson’s comments came after a fact sheet issued by the U.S. and India after the iCET Dialogue between U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on June 17 said they were working toward commencing advanced training for ISRO astronauts in the U.S.

“Building on my visit to India last year, NASA continues to further the United States and India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology for the benefit of humanity. Together we are expanding our countries’ collaboration in space, to include a joint effort aboard the International Space Station with an ISRO astronaut,” Mr. Nelson, wrote on X on June 19.

“While specific details about the mission are still in work, these efforts will support future human spaceflight and improve life here on Earth,” Mr. Nelson said.

In New Delhi, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Doval on June 17 said they concluded the Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation to deepen interoperability in space and are working toward commencing advanced training for ISRO astronauts at the NASA Johnson Space Centre.

The two leaders exchanged views on securing a carrier for the first-ever joint effort between NASA and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronauts at the International Space Station, which will mark a significant milestone in the India-U.S. space partnership and space exploration.

They also noted that the space agencies of the two countries are preparing for the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a jointly developed satellite that will map the entirety of the Earth’s surface twice every 12 days as part of efforts to combat climate change and other global challenges together.

The meeting between Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Doval also concluded that India and the U.S. must remain at the forefront of developing critical technologies as part of a larger strategic interest.

Mr. Doval and his counterpart also unveiled a raft of transformative initiatives to deepen India-U.S. cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, semiconductor, critical minerals, advanced telecommunication and defence space.

The iCET was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden in May 2022 to forge greater collaboration between India and the U.S. in areas of critical technologies.

Mr. Sullivan visited Delhi from June 17 to 18, the first trip to India by a senior Biden Administration official after the Modi government came to power for the third term.

The U.S. National Security Adviser was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior U.S. government officials and industry leaders.

U.S. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

As the world’s two oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India share a unique bond of friendship and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit will further deepen the partnership to create a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific, the White House has said.

Mr. Sullivan is visiting New Delhi from June 17 to 18, in the first trip to India by a senior Biden administration official after the Modi government came to power for the third term.

Mr. Sullivan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Monday.

“As the world’s two oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India share a unique bond of friendship, and Mr. Sullivan’s trip will further deepen the already strong U.S.-India partnership to create a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific,” John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday.

In New Delhi, Mr. Kirby said, Mr. Sullivan will co-chair the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, also known as iCET, a landmark partnership to expand strategic cooperation across key technology sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology and clean energy.

Mr. Kirby did not respond to questions on Indian national Nikhil Gupta who has been accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and has been extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic.

“I don’t have more to add on the conversations that Jake’s having. He’s still over there having these conversations. But the main focus of his visit, as I said, was to look for ways to deepen the U.S.-India bilateral relationship, particularly when it comes to emerging technology,” he said.

Nikhil Gupta was produced before a federal court in New York on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty.

India has publicly said a high-level inquiry is looking into the evidence shared by the U.S. in the alleged plot to kill Mr. Pannun.

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in New Delhi on Monday and discussed various bilateral, regional and global issues.

S Jaishankar expressed confidence that the strategic partnership between India and the US will continue to advance strongly in the near term.

In a post on X, S Jaishankar stated, “Delighted to welcome US NSA @JakeSullivan46 in New Delhi today morning. A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term.”

Delighted to welcome US NSA @JakeSullivan46 in New Delhi today morning.

A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues.

Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term.

pic.twitter.com/daqbE466bF

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 17, 2024

Mr Sullivan arrived in New Delhi for the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).

It is the first visit of a senior US official after the Modi government came to power for the third term.

Mr Sullivan was scheduled to visit India earlier in February but due to other pressing commitments in the US, the annual review meeting was rescheduled for June 17-18.

People familiar with the developments told ANI that Mr Sullivan, along with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and other top officials, will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US NSA Jake Sullivan is also scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.

This meeting will be followed by a joint statement between the two nations underscoring the progress made and the importance of the iCET mechanism for the two countries. Mr Sullivan and Ajit Doval are also expected to discuss the situation in West Asia during their bilateral talks.

While speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Ukraine peace summit hosted by Switzerland, Mr Sullivan said on Sunday said that he would be travelling directly from Switzerland to India for the second meeting of the iCET initiative.

On June 14, PM Narendra Modi met US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy and said India and the US will keep “working together to further global good.”

“It’s always a pleasure to meet @POTUS @JoeBiden. India and USA will keep working together to further global good,” PM Modi posted on X.

Earlier, on June 6, Biden and PM Modi discussed Mr Sullivan’s upcoming visit to India during a call made by the US President Biden to congratulate PM Modi on his electoral win in the Lok Sabha polls.

“President Joe Biden, spoke today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to congratulate him and the National Democratic Alliance on their historic victory in India’s general election,” the White House statement said.

Both leaders stressed their commitment to deepening the US-India Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership and Global Strategic Partnership and to advancing their shared vision of a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

The White House statement reads, “The two leaders also discussed National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s upcoming travel to New Delhi to engage the new government on shared U.S.-India priorities, including the trusted, strategic technology partnership.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan on Monday attended the annual meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) between the two countries.

The delegation-level talks were held in the national capital. This is the second iCET meeting between the two countries and is being held over two days on June 17 and 18. The first meeting was held in the United States in January last year.

US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in May 2022 to elevate and expand the bilateral strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of the two countries.

The United States and India had affirmed that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by “our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights”.

The two countries also said that they are committed to fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem, “based on mutual trust and confidence, that will reinforce our democratic values and democratic institutions”.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Jake Sullivan and discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.

Mr Jaishankar expressed confidence that the strategic partnership between India and the US will continue to advance strongly in the near term.

“Delighted to welcome US NSA Jake Sullivan in New Delhi today morning. A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term,” Mr Jaishankar said in a post on X.

Delighted to welcome US NSA @JakeSullivan46 in New Delhi today morning.

A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues.

Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term.

pic.twitter.com/daqbE466bF

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 17, 2024

Jake Sullivan, who is in India along with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and other top officials, will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is the first visit of a senior US official after the Modi government came to power for a third term.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan during a meeting, in New Delhi, on June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan, who is on a two-day visit, on June 17 underscored the vital importance of adapting each other’s technology protection toolkits and resolved to prevent the “leakage” of sensitive and dual-use technologies to countries of “concern” as they chaired the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).

Mr. Sullivan arrived just hours after reports confirmed that Nikhil Gupta was extradited to the U.S., and while neither side confirmed the Pannun case was discussed, it was expected to be high on the agenda.

During the second iCET meeting, the two NSAs set the vision for the next chapter of our strategic technology partnership, according to a joint fact sheet issued after the dialogue. “They underscored their commitment to orienting our cooperation around breakthrough achievements in priority critical and emerging technology areas, by focusing our efforts on co-production, co-development, and research and development opportunities to ensure we stay at the leading edge of innovation and enhancing coordination with like-minded nations to deliver secure, reliable, and cost-competitive technology solutions for the Indian and American people and our partners around the world.”

Mr. Sullivan also held talks with External Affairs minister S. Jaishaknar and later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Met US NSA Jake Sullivan. India is committed to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for global good,” Mr. Modi said on social media ‘X’.

On June 18, both the NSAs are scheduled to address the India- US iCET roundtable with Industry heads organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Mr. Sullivan’s India visit for the dialogue was cancelled twice earlier due to geopolitical developments.

India and the U.S. are currently in advanced stages of talks for purchase of 31 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, local licensed manufacture of the General Electric GE-414 engines as well the Stryker infantry vehicles. “Welcoming the discussions on India’s planned acquisition of the MQ-9B platforms, the possible co-production of land warfare systems, and progress on other co-production initiatives outlined in the India-U.S. Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation,” the fact sheet said in this regard.

On semiconductors, a priority area for both countries, the fact sheet announced the launching of a new strategic semiconductor partnership between General Atomics and 3rdiTech to co-develop semiconductor design and manufacturing for “precision-guided ammunition and other national security-focused electronics platforms.”

The fact sheet also outlined several steps both countries envisage to take in the new and emerging areas in the near future which in a large way would also address dependencies on China. For instance, on rare-earth minerals it outlined, “Promoting India’s vital role in the Mineral Security Partnership, including through co-investing in a lithium resource project in South America and a rare earths deposit in Africa, to responsibly and sustainably diversify critical mineral supply chains.”

The ambitious iCET was announced by Mr. Modi and U.S. President Joseph Biden on the side lines of the Quad Summit in Tokyo in May 2022 and was launched by the NSAs in January 2023 comprising key technology sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy. Subsequently, new areas were included including biotechnology, critical minerals and rare earths processing technologies, digital connectivity and digital public infrastructure and advanced materials.

Pannun investigation

Mr. Sullivan’s India visit began just hours after reports confirmed the extradition of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of being involved in murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, from Czech Republic to the US. Mr. Gupta, 52, was arrested in the Czeck Republic last year at the request of the US government. He is expected to be produced before a federal court in New York on Monday.

India, which has come under intense pressure from the US and other countries, has instituted a high-level probe into the matter. To questions few days back from the accompanying White House press corps if the issue would be raised by Mr. Biden with Mr. Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, Mr. Sullivan without giving a direct response said the topic would continue to be discussed “at very senior levels”.

Ursula von der Leyen President of European Commission, Swiss Federal President Viola Amherd, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Gabriel Boric Font of Chile attend the closing press conference of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Eighty countries have jointly called for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia-Ukraine war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in.

The joint communique capped a two-day conference at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited, but that many attendees hoped could join in on a roadmap to peace.

About 100 delegations, mostly Western countries but also some key developing nations, were on hand for the conference — and experts were on watch to see how and if at all they might line up behind the outcome document.

However, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates — which were represented by foreign ministers or lower-level envoys — were among those that did not sign onto the final document, which focused on issues of nuclear safety, food security and the exchange of prisoners. Brazil, an “observer” country, did not sign on but, Türkiye, which has sought to an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, signed the document.

The ‘path to peace’

The final document said the U.N. Charter and “respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty…can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

Viola Amherd, the Swiss president who hosted the event, told the final news conference that the fact that the “great majority” of participants agreed to the final document “shows what diplomacy can achieve”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the “first steps toward peace” at the meeting, and said the joint communique remains “open for accession by everyone who respects the U.N. Charter.”

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive Commission, said the conference was “rightly” entitled “Path to Peace” because peace won’t be achieved in a single step.

“It was not a peace negotiation because Putin is not serious about ending the war. He is insisting on capitulation. He is insisting on ceding Ukrainian territory — even territory that today is not occupied by him,” she said. “He is insisting on disarming Ukraine, leaving it vulnerable to future aggression. No country would ever accept these outrageous terms.”

Analysts say the two-day conference will likely have little concrete impact toward ending the war because the country leading and continuing it, Russia, was not invited — for now. Russia’s key ally, China, which did not attend, and Brazil have jointly sought to plot alternative routes toward peace.

The meeting also endeavored to return a spotlight to the war at a time when conflict in Gaza, national elections and other concerns have seized global attention.

It’s ‘going to take work’, says Jake Sullivan

The three themes of nuclear safety, food security and prisoner exchanges featured in the final statement. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said they amounted to “minimum conditions” for negotiations with Russia, alluding to how many other areas of disagreement between Kyiv and Moscow will be harder to overcome.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, noted a day earlier how his rich Gulf country hosted talks with both Ukrainian and Russian delegations on the reunification of Ukrainian children with their families that has so far resulted in 34 children being reunited.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking to reporters at the resort on Saturday, said it’s “going to take work” and countries stepping up to build on efforts by nations like Qatar. “It’s going to take a spotlight from the international community, not just from only voices from the United States or Europe, but from unusual voices as well to say what Russia has done here is more than reprehensible and must be reversed,” he said.

The Ukrainian government believes that 19,546 children have been deported or forcibly displaced, and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova has previously confirmed that at least 2,000 were taken from Ukrainian orphanages.

Montenegro Prime Minister Milojko Spajic told the gathering on June 16: “As a father of three, I’m deeply concerned by thousands of Ukrainian kids forcibly transferred to Russia or Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine.”

“We all at this table need to do more so that children of Ukraine are back in Ukraine,” he added.

Rafah, Palestinian Territories:

An Israeli strike killed 31 people in central Gaza Sunday, the Palestinian territory’s civil defence agency said, as US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited for talks on the conflict.

Israeli troops have moved in on the Gaza Strip’s far-southern city of Rafah, which the army describes as the last Hamas stronghold and where the United States says 800,000 civilians have been newly displaced by the fighting.

Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said it was targeting Israeli forces stationed at Rafah crossing — a vital conduit for humanitarian aid that is now closed — with mortar fire.

Israel has also fought and bombed resurgent Hamas forces in northern and central areas of the coastal territory previously considered to be under army control, sparking US warnings that it could become mired in a lengthy counterinsurgency campaign.

In the latest aerial bombardment overnight, Gaza’s civil defence agency said an Israeli strike had killed 31 people and wounded 20 in a home in the central Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel’s military, which on Sunday reported its aircraft had “struck dozens of terror targets” over the past 24 hours, said it was checking the reports.

Witness Yasser Abu Oula told AFP an entire residential complex “was destroyed” and “there are still bodies under the rubble”.

Jake Sullivan meets Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting Hamas in Gaza, following its October 7 attack that sparked the war, until the Iran-backed Islamist group is defeated and all remaining hostages are released.

But he has faced intense opposition and calls to announce a plan for Gaza’s post-war governance — from top ally Washington, from mass street protests and now also from members of his war cabinet.

Amid the political turmoil, Sullivan met his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi and Netanyahu in Jerusalem for talks on the brutal Gaza conflict and post-war scenarios.

He briefed Netanyahu on the “potential” of a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia after holding talks in the region, the White House said Sunday.

Sullivan also called on the Israeli prime minister to link the military operation against Hamas in Gaza with a “political strategy” for the future of the Palestinian enclave, it added.

Washington has pushed for a post-war plan for Gaza involving Palestinians and supported by regional powers, as well as for a broader diplomatic deal under which Israel and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia would normalise relations.

Israel’s Centrist politician Benny Gantz threatened Saturday to quit the governing hard-right coalition over just this issue. He has called for Netanyahu to approve a post-war “action plan” by June 8.

Gantz demanded steps to defeat Hamas, to bring home the hostages, and towards forming an “American, European, Arab and Palestinian administration that will manage civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip”.

Netanyahu has dismissed Gantz’s comments, saying they would lead to “a defeat for Israel” and “the establishment of a Palestinian state”, which he fiercely opposes.

‘Day after’ scenarios

US President Joe Biden called Sunday for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and said he was pushing for a regional peace deal “to get a two-state solution, the only solution”.

The Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Hamas also took about 250 hostages during the October 7 attack, of whom 124 remain held in Gaza including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,456 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

In central Israel on Sunday, mourners gathered for the funeral of German-Israeli Shani Louk, 22, whose body was recovered Thursday from Gaza by troops who also took back three other dead hostages.

‘Almost’ no aid

Israel has imposed a siege on the long-blockaded Gaza Strip, depriving its 2.4 million people of normal access to clean water, food, medicines and fuel, the suffering eased only by sporadic aid shipments by land, air and sea.

The head of the UN agency helping Palestinians said that “despite all the calls by the international community not to launch an offensive in Rafah, in reality an offensive started on May 6”.

Since then, “we have again about half of the population of Gaza being on the road forced to flee” for safety once more, though “we keep saying there is absolutely nowhere to go,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Amman.

Lazzarini said that because of the fighting, “almost nothing in terms of aid is crossing” into Gaza, raising fears that recent gains made “to prevent a looming famine … might quickly be reversed”.

Truck arrivals have slowed after the Rafah crossing with Egypt closed when Israel launched its operation in the city.

After a series of attacks on Gaza-bound trucks in Israel, a group of Israeli activists on Sunday travelled with an aid convoy to protect it, an AFP correspondent said.

Aid has also begun entering via a temporary US-built floating pier, where shipments sent from Cyprus are offloaded for distribution.

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday a shipment of 252 tonnes of aid had been unloaded after arriving from the Cypriot port of Larnaca.

The UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths warned that if dire fuel shortages were not alleviated, the “famine which we have talked about for so long, and which is looming, will not be looming anymore. It will be present”.

“Our worry … is that the consequence is going to be really, really hard,” he told AFP in Qatar. “Hard, difficult, and apocalyptic.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks expected to touch on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, one piece of a wider arrangement Washington hopes will lead to normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations.

Below is a description of the key issues involved in a US-Saudi civil nuclear deal, what risks and benefits it may offer the United States and Saudi Arabia, and how it fits within US efforts to broker Israeli-Saudi reconciliation.

What is a civil nuclear coorperation agreement?

Under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the United States may negotiate agreements to engage in significant civil nuclear cooperation with other nations.

It specifies nine nonproliferation criteria those states must meet to keep them from using the technology to develop nuclear arms or transfer sensitive materials to others.

The law stipulates congressional review of such pacts.

Why does Saudi Arabia want a US nuclear cooperation agreement?

As the world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia at first glance is not an obvious candidate for a nuclear pact typically aimed at building power plants to generate electricity.

There are two reasons Riyadh may wish to do so.

The first is that under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious Vision 2030 reform plan, the kingdom aims to generate substantial renewable energy and reduce emissions. At least some of this is expected to come from nuclear energy.

Critics cite a second potential reason: that Riyadh might wish to develop nuclear expertise in case it someday wished to acquire nuclear weapons despite the safeguards enshrined in any deal with Washington to prevent this.

The Saudi crown prince has long said that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would follow suit, a stance that has fueled deep concern among arms control advocates and some US lawmakers over a possible US-Saudi civil nuclear deal.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom and Shi’ite revolutionary Iran have been at odds for decades.

How would the US benefit from a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia?

There could be strategic and commercial gains.

The Biden administration has made no secret of its hope to broker a long-shot, multi-part arrangement leading Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations. It believes Saudi support for normalization may hinge partly on striking a civil nuclear deal.

The strategic benefits would be to shore up Israel’s security, build a wider coalition against Iran and reinforce US ties to one of the wealthiest Arab nations at a time when China is seeking to extend its influence in the Gulf.

The commercial benefit would be to put US industry in a prime spot to win contracts to build Saudi nuclear power plants, as US atomic companies compete with Russia, China and other countries for global business.

What are the hurdles to a US-Saudi civil nuclear deal?

To start, it is all but inconceivable while the Gaza war rages.

Israel invaded the Gaza Strip after Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

The Gaza death count, health officials in the Hamas-run coastal enclave say, has risen to more than 35,000 and malnutrition is widespread.

It is hard to imagine the Saudis being willing to normalize relations while Palestinians are dying in such numbers.

What is the wider pact in which a nuclear deal might figure?

The United States hopes to find a way to give Saudi Arabia several things it wants – a civil nuclear pact, security guarantees and a pathway toward a Palestinian state – in return for Riyadh agreeing to normalize relations with Israel.

Earlier this month, seven people familiar with the matter told Reuters the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia were finalizing an agreement  for US security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance to Riyadh.

However, the wider Israel-Saudi normalization envisaged as part of a Middle East “grand bargain” remains elusive.

What are some of the key issues to be worked out in a Saudi-US nuclear deal

A key issue is whether Washington might agree to build a uranium enrichment facility on Saudi territory, when it might do so, and whether Saudi personnel might have access to it or it would be run solely by US staff in a “black box” arrangement.

Without safeguards built into an agreement, Saudi Arabia, which has uranium ore, could theoretically use an enrichment facility to produce highly enriched uranium, which, if purified enough, can yield fissile material for bombs.

Another issue is whether Riyadh would agree to make a Saudi investment in a US-based and US-owned uranium enrichment plant and to hire US companies to build Saudi nuclear reactors.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Israel Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant (right) with Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, in Tel Aviv, Israel. File
| Photo Credit: AP

“U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with Israel’s Minister of Defence on March 26 and discuss ways to defeat Hamas other than conducting a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah,” the Pentagon said, at a time of rising tensions between the two countries.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters on March 25 that Mr. Austin’s planned morning meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is still on, even though Israel abruptly cancelled the visit of a high-level delegation to Washington this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled the visit in protest over Monday’s UN Security Council decision calling for an immediate cease-fire. The U.S. abstained, deciding not to use its veto power, and the resolution passed 14-0.

Israel-Hamas war | Timeline of major events from the first 100 days

“There are ways to go about addressing the threat of Hamas, while also taking into account civilian safety. A lot of those are from lessons, our own lessons, conducting operations in urban environments,” Mr. Ryder said. “I would expect the conversations to cover those kinds of things.” Israel says it cannot defeat Hamas without going into Rafah, where it says the group has four battalions composed of thousands of fighters.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and driven a third of Gaza’s population to the brink of starvation. It was launched in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people.

Hamas-led militants also took around 250 people hostage. They are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others, after most of the rest were freed during a cease-fire last year in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The United Nations Security Council resolution calls for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Mr. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages.

The dispute signals an erosion in the U.S.-Israel relationship that has been under a microscope for months as the military assault on Hamas continues, escalating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was disappointed in the decision to cancel the delegation’s visit this week. He said the talks with Mr. Gallant would likely include some of what the U.S. had planned to discuss with the Israeli delegation on the possible Rafah invasion.

The White House was aiming to talk to the Israelis about possible alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah. Mr. Gallant met, on March 25, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan. Mr. Kirby said those meetings, however, had not been intended as a replacement for the delegation meetings.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on October 27.
| Photo Credit: AP

President Joe Biden has emphasised that the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication as he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping next month to reset bilateral ties.

President Biden met Wang at the White House on October 27 after the top Chinese diplomat held wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Wang’s visit is expected to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Mr. Biden and Chinese President Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco in mid-November.

“The President emphasised that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication. He underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting between Mr. Biden and Wang.

Mr. Sullivan and Wang had candid, constructive, and substantive discussions on key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues, among other topics, said the National Security Council in a readout of the meeting.

During the meeting, Mr. Sullivan discussed concerns over China’s dangerous and unlawful actions in the South China Sea. He raised the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Also read: View From India | Dispute in the South China Sea

China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force. China has been conducting provocative military exercises around the self-ruled island.

“The two sides reaffirmed their desire to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level diplomacy, including working together towards a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November,” said the readout.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Mr. Blinken and Wang discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including addressing areas of difference as well as exploring areas of cooperation.

“The Secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners,” he said.

The relationship between the world’s two largest economies began to deteriorate during the Trump administration. In 2018, former President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum that would impose retaliatory tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese imports.

The U.S. and China have one of the world’s most important and complex bilateral relationships. Since 1949, the countries have experienced periods of both tension and cooperation over issues including trade, climate change, the South China Sea, Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Biden administration has sought to re-establish normal diplomatic ties with China after an incredibly fraught period, most notably over the Chinese surveillance balloon incident in February.