Stranded Indians, Russian invasion feature in Jaishankar-Ukrainian FM talks

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday spoke to the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba over the Russian invasion of the eastern European country. The minister took to Twitter to inform about having received a call from his Ukrainian counterpart. 

“Received call from Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba. He shared his assessment of the current situation. I emphasised that India supports diplomacy and dialogue as the way out. Discussed predicament of Indian nationals, including students. Appreciate his support for their safe return,” Jaishankar said. 

Jaishankar’s telephonic call with his Ukrainian counterpart comes at a time when the external affairs ministry is engaged in evacuating Indians trapped in the war-hit country. The first batch of Indian students have already left Chernivtsi for the Ukranian-Romanian border. They will be then taken to Romanian capital Bucharest after a 7-9 hour drive to board an Air India flight in the wee hours of Saturday.

Jaishankar on Thursday night held telephonic calls with his counterparts from Slovakia, Romania and Hungary to explore alternative routes for the safe passage of Indian nationals. 

In a series of tweets, Jaishankar thanked the foreign ministers of the countries sharing borders with Ukraine for their support in helping the evacuation of Indians.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Poland also issued an advisory asking the Indian nationals reaching the Ukraine-Poland border by buses or taxis to use the Shehyni-Medyka border point. 

The Ministry of External Affairs has shared the contact details of officials who can be contacted by the students if they opt for using road to leave Ukraine. The Russian-speaking officials have also been rushed to the camps along borders to help the evacuation efforts. 

Read: ‘Carry dollars, display Indian flag’: Govt to those being evacuated from Ukraine