KINGSTON, Jamaica — Information Minister Robert Morgan has sought to assure that Jamaican students in Ukraine are being provided with the necessary assistance they need as concerns about whether the former Soviet state is about to be invaded by its powerful neighbour Russia, which has amassed approximately 100,000 troops on the countries’ shared border.

On Tuesday, the Opposition People’s National Party raised concerns about the plight of the Jamaican students in Ukraine and at Wednesday morning’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Morgan was asked whether the government was prepared to use diplomatic channels to assist them.

According to Morgan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been working with its partners — both the Ukrainian government and other partners in Europe “to assist our students there”.

By way of context, Morgan explained that the students in Ukraine are pursuing private studies.

“Through the efforts of the ministry, we have been working with our overseas services in Berlin to try and make contact with as many of them as possible. The fact of the matter is Jamaica [and] the ministry of foreign affairs was not aware of the quantity [number of students],” said Morgan.

In this regard, he said the ministry was soliciting help, including from students, to ascertain the exact number which is believed to be around 42. “Because many of them never registered with any of our consulates or embassies,” he explained.

He said the good news is that the students do not need a visa to transit through Germany if they decide to leave Ukraine.

“So there is a good opportunity for them to exit Ukraine when the need arises and reach Jamaica safely or reach another third country.”

Morgan noted that part of the challenge the students may be having is unrelated to Jamaica’s action or inaction, but rather to their status as students in Ukraine. He said the Jamaican authorities were working with the Ukrainian authorities to, if the students do leave, not have their studies disrupted or halted.

“There have been tremendous efforts by the ministry of foreign affairs to work with the students to create a situation where, if they need to leave, they can leave unhindered through Germany, without a Schengen visa and also try to see how we can work with the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian universities through our representatives, to see what can be done as it relates to their studies if they have to leave,” assured Morgan.

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