Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair another high-level meeting on the crisis that had arisen due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict at 8.30pm on Wednesday.
This is the fourth meeting in as many days where the PM has been discussing the evacuation process of stranded Indians from war-torn Ukraine with top Union ministers and senior officials, including the foreign secretary.
In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times earlier in the day, the PM said all efforts were being made to bring back Indians stuck in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
He said the government is working round-the-clock to evacuate its citizens. “We are aware of the hardships faced by our students due to the war situation. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that every Indian reaches home safely.”
The meeting comes hours after the Indian embassy in Ukraine issued a fresh advisory, asking all of its stranded citizens to immediately leave Kharkiv and move to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka by 6pm local time.
The advisory comes as Russian forces continue to strike Ukraine’s second-largest city with missiles. A day ago, a 21-year-old Indian medical student, Naveen Shekharappa Gyandagoudar, died in shelling by Russian forces.
The embassy asked the students to leave Kharkiv for their “safety and security” and reach the settlements by the given time under all circumstances.
A day ago, the PM discussed the Ukraine crisis with French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda and European Council President Charles Michel, and reiterated India’s call for an end to hostilities and a return to dialogue.
Modi spoke to the three leaders after the death of an Indian student in Russian shelling in Kharkiv city in eastern Ukraine.