Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis on Sunday and asserted that ensuring the safety of Indian students and evacuating them is the government’s top priority, official sources said. It was also decided at the meeting to further enhance cooperation with the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to expedite the evacuation of Indian students, they said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was part of the meeting, which was also attended by top government officials, including National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The meeting lasted for over two hours, the sources said. Modi presided over the meeting immediately upon his return from Uttar Pradesh, where he addressed public meetings as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the state Assembly polls.

A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia’s attack on the country. India has begun evacuating them and over 900 people have been brought back since Saturday. Modi has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, with India calling for dialogue to defuse the crisis.

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