The government yesterday said it would help Taiwanese in Ukraine leave the country as soon as possible after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the commencement of military operations against Ukraine earlier in the day.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman (MOFA) Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that although Taiwan does not have an office in Ukraine, the representative offices in Russia and Poland are in contact with the 33 Taiwanese known to be in the country.
As Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civilian flights following the Russian attack, Ou said that Taiwan is helping those who wish to leave Ukraine to do so by land.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
If leaving is not an option, those who remain in the east European nation are strongly advised to travel to Lviv in western Ukraine, farther from the conflict zone, she added.
In the event of an emergency, they can call Taiwan’s office in Poland (+48-668-027-574) or its office in Moscow (+7-969-008-6111) for assistance, the ministry said.
Taiwanese who plan to travel to Lviv or are already there should contact the Taiwan Trade Center in Kyiv, which is run by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, at +380-44-537-0982, it said.
In a televised address yesterday morning, Putin announced the launch of a “special military operation” to achieve the “demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine,” effectively launching a full invasion of the country.
Condemning the move, Taiwan accused Moscow of “changing the status quo.”
The government encourages the two countries to use peaceful means to resolve the dispute, Ou said, adding that Taiwan is willing to contribute to any de-escalation efforts.
Nine of the 33 Taiwanese in Ukraine are students, the Ministry of Education said.
Seven are in Kyiv, one is in the east of the country and another is in the south, it said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense said that it is monitoring military activities across the Taiwan Strait and is on high alert.
Ministry spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said that the armed forces have stepped up joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts to monitor the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas.
Strategic reserve forces are on high alert, potential threats are being monitored and immediate response action plans have been augmented, he said.
Shih made the comments a day after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) ordered the armed forces to increase surveillance, remain alert for military activity in the region and strengthen combat readiness as tensions between Russia and Ukraine grow.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central