Modi calls Zelenskyy for support in evacuating Indians from eastern Ukraine

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s support for evacuating hundreds of Indian nationals stranded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy amid intense fighting in the region.

The main focus of India’s evacuation efforts in Ukraine over the past few days has been the safe and secure exit of some 700 Indians, mostly students, from Sumy. Close to 16,000 Indian nationals have been evacuated from across Ukraine, including other areas in the eastern part of the country facing heavy Russian shelling and violence.

During a 35-minute phone conversation, Modi sought continued support from the Ukrainian government in ongoing efforts for evacuating Indian nationals from Sumy, people familiar with the matter said.

The two leaders discussed the evolving situation in Ukraine, and Modi appreciated the continuing direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. He also thanked Zelenskyy for the help extended by the Ukrainian government for the evacuation of Indian nationals, the people said.

This was the second phone conversation between the two leaders. Zelenskyy called Modi on February 26 to seek India’s support at the UN Security Council. At the time Modi repeated his call for an immediate end to violence and return to dialogue.

Modi is also scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday as part of ramped-up efforts to get the Indians out of Ukraine. The two leaders last spoke hours after Putin ordered the special military operation in support of the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The Indian side has repeatedly called for an immediate end to violence and a return to the path of diplomacy and negotiations. Though India has refrained from criticising Russia’s actions in Ukraine because of the close strategic ties between New Delhi and Moscow, it has said that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected.

The Indian government launched Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine, using charter flights and military aircraft to fly out more than 15,900 people as of Sunday.