New Delhi, Mar. 7: For the third time since the conflict in Ukraine began last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and conveyed to him the importance of the safe evacuation of Indian citizens from war-torn country’s Sumy city at the earliest, official sources said.

According to the Indian Media, Around 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy amid intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

In phone talks that lasted for 50 minutes, the prime minister also appreciated the announcement of the ceasefire and the establishment of “humanitarian corridors” in parts of Ukraine, including in Sumy, by Russia, the sources mentioned above said. Earlier, Russian authorities said they would begin a ceasefire on Monday and open “humanitarian corridors” in key Ukrainian cities, including its capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and Sumy.

Modi also urged Putin to hold direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in addition to the ongoing negotiations between their teams, the sources said. The prime minister also spoke with the Ukrainian president earlier in the day.

The sources said the two leaders discussed the evolving situation in Ukraine, adding that Putin briefed Modi on the status of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian teams.