New Delhi2 days ago
- copy link
Jaishankar told that when the Russian army started firing in the safe zone, PM Modi had called Putin and asked how can you fire in the safe zone.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that during the Russia-Ukraine war two years ago, PM Modi had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on phone to ensure that Indian students were safely evacuated from the war-affected areas. Can go.
While talking to the editors of media houses in Mumbai, Jaishankar told how the process of evacuating the Indian students went from there. He said that PM Modi had called Putin twice and Zelensky once for the safe evacuation of Indian students from Kharkiv and Sumy.
PM Modi last met Putin at the SCO summit in the year 2022. Last year, at the G7 meeting in Japan, PM Modi had talked to Ukrainian President Zelensky. (file)
Jaishankar said- PM asked Putin how can you fire on the safe zone
Jaishankar said there were two incidents. One in Kharkiv and one in Sumy. In the Kharkiv incident, we had asked the students to come out of the city and reach a designated place from where they could be picked up. Everything was set, students started reaching that place, but then due to some misunderstanding, the Russian army started firing at the place where we had asked our students to assemble.
Jaishankar told that then PM Modi called Putin and told him that our people have created a safe zone and Modi asked Putin how can you fire on the safe zone. After this Putin said that he will do something regarding this. After two-three hours we got a message that the firing had stopped.
Jaishankar said – Sumi operation was big and difficult
Jaishankar told that Sumi operation was a big operation. There is a city Sumi, where there was intermittent firing and automatic firing was also taking place. The people who were stranded there were worried. They thought they were trapped there. This place was towards the north and close to the battlefield.
We kept assuring the students that they should not panic, we will get you out. We sent buses there. We knew at our level that the students would leave and there would be no firing during that time. As soon as the students boarded the bus, firing started.
Russia said that Ukraine had initiated firing and Ukraine said that Russia had initiated firing. So our students went back and they were very sad. They said that they want safe passage and they will not come out until someone comes and takes them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the students returning from Ukraine in Varanasi.
Jaishankar said- PM called Putin and Zelensky to evacuate students from Sumy
After this we sent two Russian volunteers from Delhi. These volunteers said that they would meet the students and get them out, but they would need a way out. For this we needed an agreement of no firing on the entire route, and not of stopping firing at any one place.
After this, PM Modi called both Putin and Zelensky and told them that we have made this path and they have to evacuate the students from there. Both Putin and Zelensky agreed to this. When the PM spoke to these leaders, I was there so I know.
Russia-Ukraine war completes 2 years
In February 2024, Russia-Ukraine war completed 2 years. According to American figures, so far 1 lakh 20 thousand Russian soldiers and 42 thousand Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war. Russia occupies 5 big cities of Ukraine.
Both countries are not ready to compromise. Ukraine says that they will continue attacks until Russia withdraws its occupation of its states. Whereas Russia does not want to give up its occupation of Ukrainian states.
