Holness says gov't pursuing all efforts to evacuate students in Ukraine

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Jamaican government will be pursuing every effort to evacuate the 26 Jamaican students remaining in Ukraine.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said 25 of the students are in Kharkiv and one in L'viv.

READ: 26 Jamaican students still in Ukraine

Fifteen students have left the country and two have not provided information on their location.

According to Holness, the "only efforts" of the government now must be to get them out.

"We will be using all our efforts, all our channels and connections to ensure that we get our students out," said the Prime Minister.

He was speaking afternoon at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Stony Hill Police Station in St Andrew.

Holness has condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine saying Jamaica is consistent in its support for universal respect and adherence to the principles of international law, the respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all nations.

Opposition Spokesperson on Youth and Sports, Senator Gabriela Morris, says she is disappointed with the Government's lacklustre response to the plight of the Jamaican students in Ukraine.

She said the Government should use its diplomatic ties to ensure that the students are evacuated and brought to safety, even belatedly.

“This practice of leaving our citizens stranded when they face crises overseas has become a routine for this Government. We recall the fishermen left stranded in a US immigration facility in 2020, as well as the Jamaican cruise ship workers left to languish at sea, also in 2020, while other countries went to the aid of their citizens,” she said.

Meanwhile, Holness said the government is now expecting shocks from the crisis affecting oil and wheat commodity prices.

"While it is still the early phase of the crisis, we expect that the impact on Jamaica could be through the global energy process, oil prices in particular and possibly through some commodities, mainly wheat, flour prices.

He said the government is also monitoring the effects of the international sanctions in terms imposed on Russia by several countries.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com