Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, India urged Russia and Ukraine to set up a humanitarian corridor to allow the safe passage of Indian students from Sumy, which has seen several instances of bombings and airstrikes.
#IndiainUNSC
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) March 7, 2022
📺Watch: Permanent Representative @AmbTSTirumurti speak at the #UNSC Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in #Ukraine ⤵️@MEAIndia @IndiainUkraine @IndEmbMoscow pic.twitter.com/oXoRsNGS9x
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, expressed his dismay that despite raising “urgent demand for safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians” with both Ukraine and Russia, the safe corridor has not materialised yet. Nevertheless, he thanked Ukraine and its neighbouring countries for facilitating the evacuation of 20,000 Indian nationals over the past week.
In the UN Security Council meeting today on humanitarian situation in #Ukraine️, I made the following statement ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/b9i418kAp5
— PR/Amb T S Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) March 7, 2022
India has already evacuated 17,400 citizens from Ukraine through its bordering nations and its embassy in Budapest has said that India is now in the “last leg” of Operation Ganga in Hungary.
In the video, a student of Sumy State University says, “We are afraid, we have awaited a lot and we cannot wait anymore. We are risking our life; we are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be for government and Indian Embassy.” pic.twitter.com/q1NnK2BCdk
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 5, 2022
While India has largely remained neutral on the Ukraine-Russia conflict by abstaining from openly condemning Moscow for its actions, it has often reiterated the need to provide humanitarian aid to Kyiv. In this regard, Tirumurti expressed India’s support for UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ “flash appeal” to devise a plan for the 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees and secure additional funds for Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. “We hope the international community will respond positively to the humanitarian needs,” Tirumurti said. Furthermore, the Indian representative added that India’s support for aid to Ukraine is consistent with the country’s “neutrality” on the issue.
Furthermore, Tirumurti informed that the “seven tranches of humanitarian supplies” that India had already sent included medicines, tents, sleeping mats, and blankets. “We are in the process of identifying other such requirements and sending more supplies,” he added.
#OperationGanga
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) March 6, 2022
Visuals of @NDRFHQ personnel loading relief material, being sent as part of India's efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine
The @IAF_MCC flight carrying the supplies is leaving for Poland@MEAIndia @opganga @JM_Scindia @HardeepSPuri @KirenRijiju pic.twitter.com/5xqtlHkIIi
Tirumurti’s statement came on the same day as Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's separate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, wherein the European leaders briefed him about the “status of negotiations” between the two countries. In this regard, Modi expressed his support for a “direct conversation” between the two leaders, which he hoped would bring an end to the ongoing violence.
During his telephonic conversation with Zelensky, PM Modi repeated his call for the “immediate cessation of violence,” noting that India has always stood for “peaceful resolution of issues.” Furthermore, he expressed his gratitude towards the Ukrainian authorities for assisting India in safely evacuating 20,000 Indians, and showed “deep concern” for the safety and security of Indian students who are still in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Modi reiterated his call for a humanitarian corridor for the safe repatriation of civilians in his talk with Putin. According to a release by the Kremlin, Putin said that Russian forces had already “declared a ceasefire and opened humanitarian corridors” and blamed “nationalist formations” for obstructing the “peaceful evacuation of civilians.” In this regard, he informed that Indian students who were previously being “held hostage by radicals in Kharkiv” were only released following international pressure on Ukraine.
In fact, this marked the second time Russia alleged that Ukrainian forces have been holding Indian students “hostage” and using them as “human shields.” Last week, the spokesperson for the Russian Defence Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, claimed that Ukraine had ‘forcibly’ detained Indian students in Kharkiv. He added that the students have attempted to leave Ukrainian territory for Belgorod but have been “held hostage” and told to leave the country via the Ukraine-Poland border in order to deliberately put them in harm’s way.
Both Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the absence of a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians, including foreign nationals. While Moscow has accused Kyiv of using “brute force,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia has been unwilling to broker a ceasefire and that Russian forces have continued to launch attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson.