India and China have reached an agreement on military disengagement along their disputed border, New Delhi said, a step toward reducing frictions between the nuclear-armed neighbors that comes ahead of an expected meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of a summit in Russia.

Four years ago, several soldiers from both sides were killed in a bloody melee. Any thaw between the countries could have global implications.

Tensions between the Asian powers had flared in recent years following a border clash that left at least two dozen soldiers dead.