MORE UNIVERSITY scholarships will be available to Vincentians who want to study in Russia.

This was one of the topics discussed during a recent bilateral meeting between Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves and the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov.

Gonsalves said at a press conference that during this “important” meeting, “we spent some time not just only on bilateral matters but on the war in Ukraine.”

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 of this year and have been there since.

Gonsalves noted that his position “of seeking peace and to give mature diplomacy a chance to work” is known by everyone, and “that has been the position of the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines from the beginning and it remains the position.”

However, he said the central issue was “that basically if we, if the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines, want more University scholarships, more would be available.”

Vincentians have in the past, taken up scholarships offered by the government of the Russian Federation and some individuals were there when the invasion of Ukraine began.

“I think one student came back, others have remained. Different people react differently to security issues as they are perceived,” Gonsalves noted.