Amid Ukraine's bid to blackmail India, Centre to send Hardeep Puri & others to Kyiv's neighbouring countries

Amidst reports of Ukraine's tyranny and racism over stranded Indian students, PM Modi on Sunday called an emergency meeting to address the speedy evacuation of stranded Indians from the war-hit Ukraine. Now, it has been reported that in the high-level meeting of PM Modi, it has been decided that New Delhi will send ministers to Ukraine's neighbouring countries in order to coordinate the evacuation mission and help the stranded students. 

As per the report, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, and  Gen (Retd) VK Singh will fly to Ukraine's neighbouring countries as special envoy to coordinate evacuation and help the stranded students from the war-hit nation. The following development comes after multiple videos and reports are doing rounds that stranded students are subjected to assault and racism from the Ukrainian security officials and immigration officials after India abstained itself from the resolution against Russia in the United Nations Security Council. Furthermore, various videos also show that Indians have been standing in a long queue along the Poland border running out of food as they are getting blocked by the Ukrainian authorities. 

Notably, India has launched Operation Ganga to evacuate stranded Indians in Ukraine. The entire cost of the evacuation will be borne by the Indian government. For the evacuation, the Government of India has positioned teams of officials at the Zahony border post in Hungary, Krakowiec as well as the Shehyni-Medyka land border points in Poland, Vysne Nemecke in the Slovak Republic, and the Suceava transit point in Romania to coordinate the exit of Indian nationals from Ukraine. Till now, 450 students have been evacuated, however, there are thousands who are still stranded in Ukraine. 

It is pertinent to mention here that Ukraine's cowardly act comes after India yet again abstained from voting on the resolution to refer the Russia-Ukraine war matter to an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Apart from India, UAE and China have too abstained to pass the resolution. Notably, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi before the resolution against Russia was re-introduced in UNSC. Zelenskyy had asked PM Modi for India's support at the UNSC. 

After India and other nations abstained from voting, Ukraine's ambassador to UN Sergiy Kyslytsya issued a diplomatic threat against them. Without naming India, the UAE, or China, the three abstaining countries, the Ukrainian Ambassador at UNSC said, "It is exactly the safety of your nationals in Ukraine that you should be the first to vote to stop the war to save your nationals in Ukraine, and not to think that you should vote or not vote."