Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid the ongoing conflict with Russia and sought continued support from his government for the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sumy.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the continuing direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, Government of India sources cited by ANI informed. In a phone call that lasted for about 35 minutes, PM Modi thanked President Zelensky for the help extended by the Government of Ukraine in the evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine.
This comes after Russia accused Ukrainian forces of holding foreign students hostage in conflict zones to use them as human shields. However, the Indian foreign ministry said that it has not received any reports to support the Russian claim. Notably, PM Modi will also be speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin today.
The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire on Monday from 10:00 AM (07:00 GMT) for the residents of Ukraine capital Kiev, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy to leave the cities, local media reported citing interdepartmental coordination headquarters for humanitarian response in Ukraine on Monday.
Earlier, Russia, upon India’s request, temporarily halted military operations in Kharkiv to establish a “humanitarian corridor” to help Indian nationals move out of the city.
