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.
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