The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday said it would pay for the delivery of supplies for Ukrainian refugees to Europe out of its own budget, even though it could cost as much as NT$200 million (US$6.82 million).
The ministry has not asked for assistance from the Executive Yuan to cover the delivery costs and would not draw on funds in a special account holding donations for Ukrainian refugees, it said in a statement.
It was responding to a media report that said it had asked the Executive Yuan to allocate funds to pay for the freight, which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said could cost as much as NT$200 million.
The Executive Yuan was reluctant to do so, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported.
The ministry collected 650 tonnes of medical supplies and other goods donated by 8,474 people in Taiwan from March 7 to 18 as part of the government’s efforts to help Ukrainian refugees who fled after Russia invaded their country.
So far, 350 tonnes, or just over half of the supplies, have been delivered to nearby countries by DHL, the ministry said.
The ministry only allocated NT$16 million to cover the delivery of an expected 50 tonnes of supplies, but an unexpected outpouring of support meant a bigger freight bill, putting pressure on its NT$370 million international assistance budget, Lo said.
At a legislative session on April 14, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the ministry might have to draw on funding from other departments to cover delivery costs and would ask the Executive Yuan for help if that was not enough.
Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) on Monday said that the ministry has not asked it for assistance.
The special account established by the government raised a total of NT$930 million in donations for Ukraine from late March to early April, the ministry said.
Some of the money has already been donated to neighboring countries that are sheltering Ukrainian refugees, with US$5 million still remaining in the account, it said.
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