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 as both countries’ leaders arrive in Russia for a summit.

China and India reached a deal over their disputed Himalayan border to help defuse a four-year military standoff marked by violent skirmishes. The pact between the world’s two most populous countries — in which both sides agreed to alternately patrol contested areas to ensure no border violations — came just ahead of the BRICS summit in Russia.

India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling their shared Himalayan border, according to the two governments, potentially easing the icy hostility between the Asian giants after a deadly skirmish between their troops four years ago.