The government is closely monitoring a new round of high-level talks in Washington aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said today, while stressing that humanitarian assistance to Ukraine would continue.
"The ministry has also been keeping abreast of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and the views of the US, Ukraine, European countries and Russia" regarding peace talks to potentially end the conflict, ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Taiwan would continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and collaborate with the international community in areas such as humanitarian assistance, Hsiao told a weekly news briefing in Taipei.
Hsiao made the comments when asked about the stance of the government on the Russia-Ukraine war after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House yesterday to meet US President Donald Trump for fresh talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
There were no concrete commitments from the US side on Ukraine's security, nor any development toward a peace deal following the meeting.
However, Trump expressed optimism about the prospect of Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at a later date.
Several European leaders also joined the Ukrainian leader in the White House meeting, which was held days after Trump met Putin in Alaska for a summit that failed to result in a ceasefire.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, Taiwan's government has, together with like-minded countries, sought to help Ukraine, particularly in the area of humanitarian needs.
As of February, Taiwan had allocated more than US$130 million for Ukraine infrastructure projects such as bridges, hospitals, churches and schools, while private donations for the war-torn country have exceeded US$32 million, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, asked about Taiwan's view of a recent Trump TV interview in which he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him that he would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office, Hsiao said that Taiwan's security relies for the most part on its own efforts.
"That is why Taiwan has continued to enhance its self-defense capabilities and resilience, and we will keep doing so," Hsiao added.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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