Russia-Ukraine war: India urges Ukraine and Russia for a ceasefire to evacuate 700 students in Sumi
new Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky today, government sources have said amid desperate efforts to evacuate hundreds of people Indians still stranded in the battlefield.
This morning, Russia said it would Light a fire and open the “humanitarian corridor” In several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, at 10 a.m. Moscow time (12.30 p.m. Indian time). The Interfax news agency, citing Russia’s defense ministry, said that the corridors to be opened from Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy are also being established at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron. Current status in those cities,
PM Modi is expected to speak to President Zelensky before dialing President Putin in the afternoon.
PM Modi Spoke to Russian President twice Ever since the war broke out. He spoke to President Zelensky on February 26, days after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. The talks took place after India abstained from a United Nations vote to condemn Russia’s aggression.
India is trying to rescue hundreds of Indians, mainly students, trapped in war-torn Ukraine. New Delhi is urging Moscow to impose a ceasefire to enable the evacuation of Indian students trapped after Russian troops attacked Ukraine in late February.
The Indian embassy yesterday told students trapped in the hostel of a medical college in the Ukrainian city of Sumy that “Be prepared to leave at short noticeA team of officers has been deployed to Poltava – about a three-hour drive from Sumy – to coordinate the safe passage of students.
Students in Sumi shared the video saying they had decided to take a risky journey to the Russian border, 50 km away. However, he decided to hold off after the government approached him and advised him to “avoid unnecessary risks”.
Evacuation from the battlefield has been a major challenge for the Indian authorities, with students struggling in the cold winter amid shortages of food supplies and drinking water.
India has brought back more than 15,920 of its citizens in 76 flights under the mission “Operation Ganga” which was launched on 26 February.