Taiwan pledges continued aid to Ukraine on 3rd anniversary of war

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's government promised Monday that it will continue to offer humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia three years ago to the day.

Since the full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, Taiwan's government has stood with like-minded countries to help Ukraine, particularly in the area of humanitarian needs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) told CNA.

MOFA said it has also been keeping abreast of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and the views of European countries, the United States, and Russia regarding peace talks to potentially end the conflict.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the U.S. had been the latter's biggest supporter, but in recent weeks the dynamics seem to have shifted, as new U.S. President Donald Trump has been excluding Ukraine from peace talks with Russia, which has drawn criticism from Kyiv and some European countries.

On Feb. 11, Josephine Lee (李秀窈), deputy head of MOFA's Department of European Affairs, said that since the invasion began in 2022, Taiwan's government has been standing on same front as the U.S., the European Union and like-minded partners to help Ukraine.

Taiwan's government has been offering humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, drawing on the generosity of Taiwan's public and private sectors, to provide medical equipment and daily necessities to the Ukrainian people, Lee said.

Furthermore, she said, Taiwan has been helping the Ukrainian government and people to rebuild their infrastructure, including roads, schools, hospitals, and water and electricity systems.

"That stance will continue," Lee said. "We hope that the Russian-Ukrainian war will end soon and the Ukrainian people can return to normal life as soon as possible."

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 had exceeded US$32 million, according to MOFA.