Taiwan will not aid aggressors, President Lai says after Zelensky remarks

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday said Taiwan will not tolerate any assistance to aggressors or violations of international embargoes, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent remarks about the country.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Zelensky criticized Europe for being unable to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine and also accused Taiwan and other countries of not doing enough to prevent Russia from obtaining electronic components to manufacture missiles.

"Russia's missiles are produced only because there are ways to bypass sanctions," Zelensky said, adding that it "couldn't build any ballistic or cruise missiles without critical components from other countries, and it's not just China."

He continued by saying that Russia gets components from companies in Europe, the United States and Taiwan.

"Right now, many are investing in stability around Taiwan to avoid war. But can Taiwanese companies stop contributing electronics to Russia's war?" Zelensky questioned, stressing that countries need to cut off Russia from the components it needs for missile production.

On Friday, President Lai did not address Zelensky's specific claims about Taiwanese companies, instead noting that Taiwan has long worked with global partners to staunchly support Ukraine through humanitarian aid and coordinated sanctions.

"We remain clear: any assistance to the aggressor or violations of int'l embargoes & export control regulations are unacceptable. We pray for peace to be restored to Ukraine soon," he wrote on X.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Taiwanese government has worked closely with the international democratic community to impose strict high-tech export controls on Russia.

MOFA also said that Taiwan has expanded its sanctions list six times to date, placing export restrictions on a total of 3,300 Russian entities.