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NEW DELHI: With the Ukraine situation still on a knife edge, the government on Sunday asked the family members of all Indian diplomats in the country to return to India. The decision suggests a rethink on the prevailing security situation by Indian authorities who had so far maintained that there was no reason to panic and that the Indian mission would continue to function normally.
Official sources confirmed the development hours after, in another Ukraine advisory, the government asked all Indian students, as also other Indian nationals whose stay is not essential, to leave Ukraine while advising them to make use of available commercial flights for timely and orderly departure.
The advisory followed continued and rising tensions between Russia and Nato over Ukraine. UK PM Boris Johnson accused Russia Sunday of planning the “biggest war since 1945”.
“In view of the continued high levels of tensions and uncertainties with respect to the situation in Ukraine, all Indian nationals whose stay is not deemed essential and all Indian students are advised to leave Ukraine temporarily,” the Indian embassy in Kyiv said.
It said available commercial flights, and charter flights may be availed for travel, for an “orderly and timely departure” from Ukraine.
“Indian students are advised to also get in touch with respective student contractors for updates on charter flights, and also continue to follow the embassy Facebook, website and Twitter for any update,” the embassy said.
While looking to ensure the safety and security of close to 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine, India has continued to walk the diplomatic tightrope on the issue, with foreign minister S Jaishankar saying on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that diplomacy was the answer to the crisis. He said the situation called for a very different kind of approach and that, at the end of the day, diplomacy was the answer. “One has to look at ways of reconciling,” he said.
India’s decision to recall family members of diplomats came in the middle of Jaishankar’s visit to Europe for the conference in Germany and also an Indo-Pacific event organised by France. India has been under pressure from the US and its European partners to speak up on Russian aggression.
Russia has positioned around 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, besides sending warships into the Black Sea for naval exercises, triggering concerns among the Nato countries of an invasion. The West has been severely critical of Russia over the build-up, with the US sending extra troops to Europe to support its allies.
Official sources confirmed the development hours after, in another Ukraine advisory, the government asked all Indian students, as also other Indian nationals whose stay is not essential, to leave Ukraine while advising them to make use of available commercial flights for timely and orderly departure.
The advisory followed continued and rising tensions between Russia and Nato over Ukraine. UK PM Boris Johnson accused Russia Sunday of planning the “biggest war since 1945”.
“In view of the continued high levels of tensions and uncertainties with respect to the situation in Ukraine, all Indian nationals whose stay is not deemed essential and all Indian students are advised to leave Ukraine temporarily,” the Indian embassy in Kyiv said.
It said available commercial flights, and charter flights may be availed for travel, for an “orderly and timely departure” from Ukraine.
“Indian students are advised to also get in touch with respective student contractors for updates on charter flights, and also continue to follow the embassy Facebook, website and Twitter for any update,” the embassy said.
While looking to ensure the safety and security of close to 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine, India has continued to walk the diplomatic tightrope on the issue, with foreign minister S Jaishankar saying on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that diplomacy was the answer to the crisis. He said the situation called for a very different kind of approach and that, at the end of the day, diplomacy was the answer. “One has to look at ways of reconciling,” he said.
India’s decision to recall family members of diplomats came in the middle of Jaishankar’s visit to Europe for the conference in Germany and also an Indo-Pacific event organised by France. India has been under pressure from the US and its European partners to speak up on Russian aggression.
Russia has positioned around 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, besides sending warships into the Black Sea for naval exercises, triggering concerns among the Nato countries of an invasion. The West has been severely critical of Russia over the build-up, with the US sending extra troops to Europe to support its allies.
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