Nepal, March 18 -- Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has urged the Ukrainian government to release seven Nepali nationals currently held captive by the Ukrainian military.

Minister Rana made the request during a meeting with her Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sideline of Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, India. The two ministers discussed various aspects of Nepal-Ukraine relations, as well as matters of mutual interest.

According to her Secretariat, Minister Rana raised the issue of the seven Nepalis, who are reportedly being held as prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces. She clarified that Nepal has no policy allowing its citizens to enlist in the Russian military and informed that these individuals were trafficked and forc...