In Washington, DC, to hold talks on the nuclear deal, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon had a brief meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Rice is said to have reiterated that the US was confident India is ready to work in good faith to get an agreement on the nuclear deal, which would require some creativity and compromise on both sides.

After Menon's talks with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, both sides expressed renewed optimism that the deal can be completed soon, but refused to provide a time line.

Photograph: Kiran Jagga