New Delhi, March 7
India has brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine so far while around 700 Indian students remained stuck in the northeastern city of Sumy with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.
In the last few days, India has been focusing primarily on ways to get the Indian students out of Sumy, a city that is around 60 km from the Russian border.
The prospect of Indian students’ evacuation brightened on Monday when Russia said it would start a ceasefire and open “humanitarian corridors” in key Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Sumy.
Russian news agency Interfax, quoting Russian authorities, reported that Russia has informed the United Nations, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of opening humanitarian corridors in Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy.
However, there was no report yet of operationalisation of such corridors in Sumy as well as in other cities with Ukrainian authorities criticising Moscow for the selection of the evacuation routes, saying they will mostly lead to Russia and its ally Belarus.
Meanwhile, delegations from Russia and Ukraine held a third round of talks in Belarus, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, the 12th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky with whom he spoke earlier in the day.
The Prime Minister’s common talking point with both Presidents was safety and security of Indian students still remaining in Ukraine and emphasised the need for their quick and safe evacuation.
The Russian President assured of all possible cooperation in this respect, said official sources.
The Prime Minister’s conversation with both protagonists comes at a time when Russia has offered a ceasefire in around Ukrainian cities to enable the safe evacuation of civilian including 600 Indian students who along with an equal number of Africans are trapped in the city of Sumy for the past 11 days.
As Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepare to enter a third round of talks, the humanitarian picture in Ukraine is growing increasingly desperate, Putin briefed the PM Modi on the status of negotiations.
During the conversation, which is the second between Modi and Putin since Russia began its war on February 24, the PM also appreciated the Russian military’s announcement earlier in the day to hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in Kyiv, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol.
During his talk with Zelensky, the PM thanked the Ukrainian authorities for their facilitation in evacuating more than 20,000 Indians but also expressed deep concern for the safety and security of the remaining Indian students and emphasised the need for their quick and safe evacuation.
“He reiterated his call for immediate cessation of violence and noted that India has always stood for peaceful resolution of issues and direct dialogue between the two parties,’’ said an official statement. The two leaders had earlier spoken on February 26.
PM Modi will also be the latest world leader to make a call for peace between Russia and Ukraine following appeals from Israeli PM Naftali Bennett, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
PTI adds: Modi’s conversation with the two presidents whose nations are at war comes at a time when India’s efforts to evacuate all citizens from Ukraine have entered a crucial stage.
A team of Indian diplomats is stationed in the central part of Ukraine and buses have been requisitioned. The Ukrainians have indicated that they will facilitate the evacuation of students from western side of the country.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine has already advised the students to be ready to leave at short notice.
Due to closure of Ukrainian airspace, evacuations are taking place via the land borders.
The Indian embassy is also trying to ascertain the exact number of its citizens in Sumy. It has asked all those who are yet to leave conflict zones in Ukraine to “urgently” fill up a form, with personal details and location, to facilitate evacuation.
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