At high level meeting, PM Modi accords top priority to the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis on Sunday and asserted that ensuring the safety of Indian students and evacuating them is the government’s top priority, official sources said. At the meeting, it was also decided to further enhance cooperation with the neighboring countries of Ukraine to expedite the evacuation of Indian students, they said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was part of the meeting, which was also attended by top government officials, including National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

The meeting lasted for over two hours, the sources said.

A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia’s attack on the country.

India has begun evacuating them and over 900 people have been brought back since Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed India’s willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy briefed the prime minister in detail about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine due to Russia’s military operations. The Prime Minister called for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue.

PM Modi expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict.

“He reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue and expressed India’s willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts,” a PMO release said.

PM Modi’s call with the Ukraine President came two days after his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had appealed for an immediate cessation of violence and had called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue in his talks with Putin.

The prime minister had also reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue. President Putin had briefed the prime minister about the recent developments regarding Ukraine.

Notably, Russia on Friday (local time) vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine, while India, China, and UAE abstained from voting.

The vote was 11 in favour, one against, and three abstentions. India has abstained from the vote but New Delhi has called for immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine and advocated for a diplomatic solution.

Russia had on Monday recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhanussisk – as independent entities following which the situation escalated.

New Credit: India TV News