Russia, Ukraine agree to hold talks; Vladimir Putin puts nuclear forces on alert

New Delhi, February 27

Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert and fighting raged around the cities of Kharkiv, Odessa and Kyiv even as Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed to meet for talks on the Belarusian border with Ukraine.

Editorial: India’s stand on Ukraine: Preserving options to safeguard national interests

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said the two sides would meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border but did not give a precise time for the meeting.

The West also continued to pile up pressure by cutting major Russian banks from the SWIFT system and announcing military aid for the Ukrainian military.

Citing aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions, Putin on Sunday announced that he had put the nuclear forces on alert while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided to meet on Wednesday to examine the safety aspect of Ukraine’s four nuclear power sites.

“Western countries are not only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” said Putin in televised comments. United States’ Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the order was an unacceptable escalation.

The Russian military was pushing into Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on the fourth day of fighting amid reports that some of its columns were taking hits from NATO-supplied munitions to the Ukrainian army. Russia has also attacked Ukrainian oil and gas facilities, sparking huge explosions.

People fleeing the war were pouring into central Europe and there were long queues at border crossings, especially with Poland which has announced document-free entry for Ukrainians. However, Russia continued to export gas via Ukraine to Europe.

PM Modi chairs high-level meet

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said evacuation of Indians from Ukraine was the top priority of the government. He said this at a two-hour high-level meeting with top officials. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present on the occasion. The PM took stock of the ongoing evacuation under Operation Ganga. The meeting came a day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called up Modi. — TNS