India bolsters Ukraine rescue, 7,400 may return in 2 days

New Delhi/Moscow: As war continued to rage in Ukraine, India on Thursday bolstered efforts to evacuate its citizens from the strife-torn country, with four IAF aircraft bringing back 798 people and more than 7,400 Indians expected to return home to safety over the next two days, officials said.

Russia bared a softer side, saying it is ready to send 130 buses to evacuate stranded Indian students and other foreigners from Ukraine’s battle-scarred Kharkiv and Sumy cities.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said a second round of talks with Russia about the war has begun in neighbouring Belarus. A video released by Zelenskyy’s office Thursday showed the informally dressed Ukrainian delegation walking into the meeting room where they shook hands with Russian delegates in suits and ties.

In a related development, India rejected claims by Russia and Ukraine that Indian students are being held hostage in the besieged city of Kharkiv and said it has requested the support of Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking them out from the conflict zone. “We have not received any reports of any hostage situation,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.