Russia-Ukraine war: India asks all its nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately

Amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, India on Wednesday asked all its nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately and proceed to Pesochin and other areas for their safety and security.

News agency AP has reported that renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine's Kharkiv have killed at least four and wounded several.

Under all circumstances, they must reach settlements by 18:00 hrs local time, the Indian embassy in Ukraine said.

Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its seventh day, with the former continuing its attacks on crowded Ukrainian cities and a lengthy convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles advanced slowly toward the capital of Kyiv.

Ukraine’s leader decried Russia's escalation of attacks on crowded cities as a blatant terror campaign, while US President Joe Biden warned that if the Russian leader didn't “pay a price” for the invasion, the aggression wouldn’t stop with one country.

Of the 20,000 Indians who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine, 6,000 have been brought back to the country so far and the Centre is making all efforts for the safe return of the remaining ones, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said earlier today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it is because of India's "rising strength" that the government was able to evacuate the Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine amid conflict with Russia.

Addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Robertsganj, PM Modi said, "It is due to India's rising strength that we are able to safely evacuate our nationals stuck in Ukraine, for which we are running Operation Ganga."

"We're making all efforts to evacuate people stuck in Ukraine under Operation Ganga. Thousands of citizens were brought back to India. To accelerate this mission, India has sent its four ministers there, and the government will leave no stone unturned for the safe evacuation of Indians," he added.

PM Modi on Monday deputed four Union Ministers to neighbouring countries of Ukraine to coordinate evacuations of stranded Indians amid ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine.

Other ministers deputed to manage evacuations include Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia in Romania and Molodova, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri in Hungary and Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport Gen (Retd) VK Singh in Poland.

Russian and Ukrainian officials say they are standing by to resume talks about their war, though the time and place for negotiations was unknown and hopes for a breakthrough remain low.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that “in the second half of the day, closer to evening, our delegation will be in place to await Ukrainian negotiators.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukrainian officials are ready for new talks but said the venue is undecided and Kyiv won’t accept any Russian ultimatums.

(With inputs from agencies)