New Delhi

Amid row over US, Australia, UK (AUKUS) trilateral pact, the Biden administration has assured India that the new defence partnership will not detract from either its bilateral cooperation New Delhi or multilateral ties like the Quad.

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Reports said US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin gave the assurances while briefing India's defence minister Rajnath Singh in a telephonic conversation.

Also Read: AUKUS could trigger a 'nuclear arms race', says North Korea

Austin said that the US will continue to cooperate closely with India as before while defence minister Rajnath Singh reportedly said in the conversation that India was studying the AUKUS agreement.

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The US defence secretary's call comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington for the first in-person Quad summit with President Joe Biden to be held on September 24.

Also Read: AUKUS row won’t impact military cooperation: NATO military chief

Under the AUKUS deal unveiled by the US, UK and Australia, the US will help Canberra build at least eight nuclear-powered attack submarines. The deal was criticised by the French government which was earlier in talks with the Australian government to build submarines.

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The move is being seen as a strategic step to counter China's expanding footprint in the Indo-Pacific.

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India currently has only one nuclear-powered submarine.

During the telephonic conversation, India's defence minister also conveyed India's concerns over the large amount of US weapons left behind in Afghanistan including Humvees, helicopters, drones and rifles which are now reportedly with the Taliban.

Also Read: Angry France cancels gala event in Washington

Austin and Rajnath Singh also discussed issues relating to combating terrorism in the region and agreed to work closely in view of the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from Agencies)