Here is a roundup of the latest developments from India on Thursday, September 3.
India's foreign minister has begun a three-day tour of Poland and Ukraine
US Secretary of State has responded to a key meeting between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian
A retired Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force has been tapped to be the first CEO of the controversy-mired Ram Temple in Ayodhya
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he does not believe India and Iran are discussing a trade deal, two days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiheld a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO in Bishkek.
The Monday meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian was their first since the start of the Iran war.
Rubio reacted to the leaders' meeting during an interview on "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio on Wednesday.
When asked by the host whether New Delhi and Tehran were pursuing some form of trade deal, Rubio said: "Well, I don't think there's a trade deal between India and Iran. Obviously, there are - countries all develop their own foreign policy, and many countries around the world talk to the Iranian regime."
Later in the interview, the secretary of state issued a sanctions warning and reiterated US President Donald Trump's stance that no nation should help Iran evade sanctions.
"No country should be out there helping them create mechanisms by which they can generate revenue that they will then use to sponsor terrorism and try to build a nuclear weapon. And if countries decide to do that, then we're going to have to sanction them too," Rubio said.
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reached the Polish capital of Warsaw as he kickstarts an official visit to Poland and Ukraine on Thursday.
During the three-day tour, which runs until Saturday, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for bilateral consultations, the foreign ministry in New Delhi said in a statement.
The ministry added that the visit is focused on "enhancing bilateral relations" and will also provide an opportunity to "exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest."
The foreign minister was greeted at the airport in Warsaw on Wednesday by India's ambassador to Poland, Neeta Bhushan.
Jaishankar's trip to Poland comes amid speculation about a visit by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to India.
Earlier in August, Poland's top envoy to India said that Tusk's visit, which would be his third to New Delhi, would send a strong signal for cooperation.
There is yet to be formal confirmation of Tusk's India tour.
The visit also reflects broader efforts by New Delhi to deepen engagement with Central and Eastern European partners.
Following the Poland leg of his tour, Jaishankar will head to Ukraine.
Jaishankar's Ukraine visit comes after key Modi-Putin meeting
The Ukraine leg of Jaishankar's tour comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday. During the meeting, Modi urged an end to the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of Jaishankar's arrival in Kyiv, Ukraine's First Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said on Tuesday that he had met India's Ambassador to Ukraine, Anjani Kumar, to discuss Kyiv-New Delhi ties and India's role in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Kyslytsya said he discussed with Kumar Modi's message to Putin in Bishkek, in which the Indian prime minister urged a "move from endless war to end of war" in Ukraine.
"We look forward to continued dialogue with India and to translating this shared interest in peace into concrete steps," Kyslytsya added.
At SCO summit, Modi urges Putin to end Ukraine war
