Russia-Ukraine Tensions: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting on Ukraine issue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Ukraine issue on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla among others.

This comes at a time when the Government of India government is evacuating Indian citizens from Ukraine under the evacuation plan titled 'Operation Ganga'. So far, a total of 469 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine, out of which 250 landed in Delhi on Sunday morning and 219 landed in Mumbai on Saturday evening.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed India's willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts in the wake of the ongoing conflict situation in Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy briefed the Prime Minister in detail about the ongoing conflict situation in Ukraine due to Russia's military operations. The Prime Minister called for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue.

PM Modi expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict. "He reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue, and expressed India's willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts," a PMO release said.

PM Modi's call with the Ukraine President came two days after his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had appealed for an immediate cessation of violence and had called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue in his talks with Putin.

The Prime Minister had also reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue. President Putin had briefed the Prime Minister about the recent developments regarding Ukraine.

Notably, Russia on Friday (local time) vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine, while India, China, and UAE abstained from the vote. The vote was 11 in favour, one against, and three abstentions. India has abstained from the vote but New Delhi has called for immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine and advocated for a diplomatic solution.

Russia had on Monday recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhanussisk - as independent entities following which the situation escalated.

(ANI)