PM Modi to speak with Ukraine President Zelensky today: Sources

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

New Delhi, Mar 07, 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone this morning, government sources have said.

PM Modi had spoken to President Zelensky last on February 26, days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. That conversation followed India’s abstention from a UN vote to condemn Russia’s aggression.

 

Today’s conversation will take place at a time India is trying to move out hundreds of Indians, mainly students, still stuck in war-hit Ukraine.

Students stuck in a medical college hostel in the Ukrainian city of Sumy were told yesterday by the Indian Embassy to "be ready to leave on short notice". A team of officials has been stationed in Poltava - nearly a three-hour drive from Sumy - to coordinate the safe passage of the students.

Evacuation from the warzone has been a huge challenge for the authorities with students struggling in the bitter cold, amid depleting food supplies and drinking water.

Students shared videos saying they have decided to take a risky journey to the Russian border that’s 50 kilometres away. They, however, decided to stay put after the government contacted them and advised to "avoid unnecessary risks".

India has been urging Ukraine and Russia to impose a ceasefire in the northeastern Ukrainian city to evacuate around 700 students, trapped after Russian troops invaded Ukraine in late February, with their evacuation hampered because of fighting in the area, foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters.India has brought back over 15,920 of its nationals in 76 flights under mission "Operation Ganga" which was launched on February 26.