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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday received a call from Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and they both discussed the evacuation of Indian citizens in the light of ongoing military operations of Russia.
"Received a call from Ukrainian FM @DmytroKuleba. He shared his assessment of the current situation. I emphasized that India supports diplomacy & dialogue as the way out. Discussed predicament of Indian nationals, including students. Appreciate his support for their safe return," tweeted Jaishankar. Meanwhile, Indian embassies in the neighbouring countries of Ukraine have organized massive evacuation operations for the Indian citizens. The Indian Embassy in Warsaw issued an urgent advisory for its citizens who desire to be evacuated via Poland and said, "Indian nationals arriving at the Poland-Ukraine border by public conveyance i.e. by bus or taxi, are advised to make for the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing, not Krakowiec crossing." The Ministry of External Affairs Camp Offices are now operational in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine. Additional Russian-speaking officials are being sent to these Camp Offices. Officials are assisting Indian citizens who reach these cities and will facilitate their departure from Ukraine through adjoining border crossings. A group of around 40 Indian medical students of Daynlo Halytsky Medical University, Lviv walk towards the Ukraine-Poland border for evacuation. They were dropped around 8 km from the border point by a college bus. Also, the Embassy of India in Bratislava has stationed officials at the Slovak-Ukraine border to provide essential assistance to Indian nationals who might cross over to Slovakia from Thursday. Meanwhile, Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine chided European leaders for their hesitancy in taking economic sanctions against Russia. "To some European leaders who are still hesitant: each year at commemorative events you say 'Never again'. The time to prove it is now. Russia is waging a horrific war of aggression in Europe. Here is your 'never again' test: BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT and kick it out of everywhere," tweeted Kuleba. He said that he spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and urged him to ban Russia from SWIFT. "Another call with my American friend and counterpart @SecBlinken on the need to use all US influence on some hesitant European countries in order to ban Russia from SWIFT. We also discussed the further supply of defensive weapons to Ukraine," tweeted Kuleba. US President Joe Biden, in his address to the nation on Thursday (local time), said that removing Russia from the SWIFT international financial system is always an option but not one Europe wishes to take now. "It is always an option, but right now, that's not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take," Biden said during a press conference at the White House. (ANI)
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