Indian embassy in Ukraine advises its students to leave temporarily

The Indian embassy in Ukraine has advised the Indian students to leave the country temporarily “in the interest of safety”, as tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated further.

“Students are advised, in the interest of safety, to leave Ukraine temporarily, rather than wait for an official confirmation from universities,” the embassy said in a tweet.

India told the UN Security Council on Monday that the immediate priority should be de-escalation of tensions.

India also said that it was convinced that this issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.

President Putin signed decrees to recognise Ukraine’s regions of Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent on Monday, escalating the tension in the region and increasing fears of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. He also ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine, in what the Kremlin called a “peacekeeping” mission in the Moscow-backed regions.

Also read: Russia-Ukraine standoff: De-escalation top priority, India tells UNSC

Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine on Monday night, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said, “We have been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine, including developments along the eastern border of Ukraine and the related announcement by the Russian Federation.”

“The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region,” Tirumurti said.

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India called for restraint on all sides and stressed that the immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions, taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond.

(With inputs from Agencies)