PM Modi chairs meet on Ukraine conflict

New Delhi, Mar 04: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a high-level meeting on the Russia-Ukraine crisis and reviewed the progress of Operation Ganga. The meeting comes amid reports of an Indian student being shot at in Kyiv and was taken back midway.

Union Minister, General (retd) V K Singh said that they are trying for maximum evacuation in minimum loss. The incident comes just days after an Indian student was killed in Kharkiv. Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar a fourth year medical student had stepped out to buy grocery when he was killed.

On Thursday, PM Modi emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis during a virtual meeting of Quad leaders.

"Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," an official statement said.

In his remarks, PM Modi also reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year," the statement said.

It said Modi underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.