PM sets evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine as top priority

In a high-level meeting chaired on the Ukraine crisis, PM Narendra Modi accorded top priority to the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine, informed government sources on Sunday.

In a high-level meeting chaired on the Ukraine crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded top priority to the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine, informed government sources on Sunday.

According to government sources, PM Modi also assured that further cooperation with neighbouring countries of Ukraine to expedite evacuation will be enhanced.

"PM Narendra Modi's high-level meeting on Ukraine-Russia conflict lasted over two hours in which PM ensured safety and evacuation of Indian students as the top priority. Further cooperation with neighbouring countries of Ukraine to expedite evacuation will be enhanced," sources stated.

This comes at a time when the Government of India is evacuating Indian citizens from Ukraine under the evacuation plan titled 'Operation Ganga'.

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.