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PM Modi speaks to Putin, discusses evacuation of Indian students from Kharkiv
Russia-Ukraine war: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Putin over phone on February 25, wherein he had called for ‘immediate cessation of violence’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin over phone on the Ukraine conflict. The telephonic conversation pertained to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck, the PMO said in a statement.
They discussed the safe evacuation of the Indian nationals from the conflict areas.
It is the second telephonic conversation between Modi and Putin since the Russian forces invaded Ukraine. PM Modi last spoke to the Russian president on February 25, the day after invasion, wherein he had called for ‘immediate cessation of violence’.
The telephonic conversation comes amid ferocious fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian forces in Kharkiv. Official estimates say about 4,000 Indian nationals are stuck in Ukraine's second largest city as well as parts of eastern Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Indian embassy in Ukraine issued an advisory asking all the Indian nationals to immediately leave Kharkiv for their safety and security. The embassy asked the Indian citizens to proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that the government is exploring options to reach eastern Ukraine to assist in the evacuation efforts.
“We are seeing if our teams can reach there, it's not easy because the route is not open all the time,” Arindam Bagchi, ministry of external affairs spokersperson said during the briefing.
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“The Embassy (in Kyiv) was asked to set up a temporary office in Lviv to facilitate border crossings by Indians. A substantial segment of our Embassy team is now at Lviv for this purpose. Location of the other segment of the Embassy team is dynamic,” the spokesperson added.
