NEW DELHI, 28 February 2022, (TON): Government sources have told media “Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials this evening that ensuring safety of Indian students and evacuating them from war-hit Ukraine is country's top priority.”

The comments were made a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister this evening soon after his return from Uttar Pradesh where he had gone for election campaign.

The sources added “it was discussed to further enhance cooperation with neighbouring countries of Ukraine to expedite evacuation.”

The foreign secretary made a presentation on the issue, the sources said. Around 16,000 Indian nationals, most of them students, have been trapped in Ukraine, which has been reeling under Russian invasion since.

The Prime Minister last held a meeting with the Cabinet Committee of Security, where he underscored the need to focus on bringing the Indian nationals home safely.

He later spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well, calling for "immediate cessation of violence" and stressing that India attaches the "highest priority" to the safe exit and return of its citizens from Ukraine.