Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith says 22 Jamaican students are currently on a train from the northeastern city of Kharkiv to L’viv in Ukraine, whereby they will proceed to the Polish border and be granted safe passage.

Senator Johnson Smith, providing an update on the stranded medical students on her return from official duties in Nigeria on Saturday (February 26), added that three students are also travelling from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to L’viv and one has already arrived in the western town.

The minister further disclosed that the Government has activated all available resources to ensure the students arrive safely in Poland.

“We have contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and obtained their assurance in allowing entry of our nationals. We have also arranged for them to be met at the Polish border where they will receive guidance and assistance on our behalf when they arrive,” the minister is quoted in a statement from the ministry.

“We will book and purchase their tickets for travel back to Jamaica and our Consular Affairs Department here at headquarters [Kingston] has already started work on identifying travel arrangements to have them return to Jamaica as soon as this is possible,” Johnson Smith continued.

Victoria up and on watch ah mek sure wi #Jamaica students travelling from #Ukraine alright.#jamaicans🇯🇲 #JamaicanStudentsInUkraine #VictoriaDiUkrajaicanPuss pic.twitter.com/2DvSIvjnRU

— Zj Sparks 🇯🇲 🕉 九 (@Sparkiebaby) February 26, 2022

In the update, Senator Johnson Smith also advised that two Jamaican students did not leave Kharkiv “for reasons unknown”, but maintained her team “is trying to get the best information to assist those students in leaving”.

Meanwhile, both the Jamaican Embassy in Berlin and the Foreign Affairs Ministry remain in close contact with the students and their loved ones as they move through Ukraine bound for Poland.

“[T]hese are challenging times and we recognise that the route to the border of Poland may not be a smooth one, but we continue to hope for, and work towards, the students’ safe passage and earliest repatriation to Jamaica,” Johnson Smith remarked.

“We are appreciative of the support of our diplomatic partners and nationals overseas as we seek the best outcomes for the students. In the meantime, we encourage the students to take all necessary precautions and remain together as a group,” she added.

Jamaicans at home and across the diaspora await confirmation of the students safely making it to Poland, days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

Based on the ministry’s account, 27 of the 42 Jamaican students were stuck in Ukraine at the onset of the invasion, where it bemoaned the ‘unwillingness’ of the students’ part to take up its initial travel loan offer.

Shortly after, those who made it out of Ukraine began voicing strong objections to the way they were handled by the Jamaican Government on Twitter, triggering public outcry for more to be done.

Some Jamaicans living in Germany and other areas of western Europe offered to house the students, with private sector interests in Jamaica expressing a desire to want to get the students out, but by late Thursday, bombardments were common in several metropolitan areas of Ukraine and it became impractical amid the deadly conflict.

Since then, both the People’s National Party (PNP) president Mark Golding and the Positive Jamaica Foundation, chaired by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Andrew Holness, have contributed US$10,000 and US$11,500 respectively to assist in getting the students home.

READ MORE:

• Jamaican students in Ukraine didn’t take up offer to get them out, says Johnson Smith
• Gov’t accused of ‘not telling whole truth’ on loan offer to Jamaican students stuck in Ukraine
• Golding sends funds to aid Jamaican students in Ukraine as PNP puts US$10K together to aid with food, transport