NEW DELHI: India has sought ceasefire by the Russian and Ukrainian troops for the safe evacuation of Indian citizens. The foreign ministry said in its statement that it is difficult to continue evacuation amid the current situation and urged both countries for a temporary ceasefire.

We are unable to utilize the travel facilities arranged by Russia. The buses provided for evacuation have not been able to reach the students, said the ministry. Russia had arranged 130 buses, the previous day.

As part of Operation Ganga, 16 flights will reach India on Saturday. However, concerns still remain about the students stranded in the eastern parts of Ukraine. The central government, on Friday, informed the supreme court that 17,000 Indians have been repatriated so far. As of now, 1070 Malayalees have returned.