News
Government condemns Russia's moves
Taiwan's government is condemning Russia for undermining Ukraine's sovereignty... and is urging all sides to seek peaceful means to resolve their disputes.
President Tsai Ing-Wen shared her comment about the situation in Russia through social media, and after a National Security Council briefing.
Tsai says Taiwan is willing to contribute to various de-escalation efforts.
However, she did not yet elaborate on what those efforts might be.
Tsai says, along with monitoring the situation in Eastern Europe, the government is also continuing to bolster Taiwan's security.
National security authorities and the armed forces have been instructed to strengthen their monitoring of the cross-strait situation.
The president is also warning government agencies to be on the alert for potential influence operations by overseas forces and local partners that attempt to use the situation in Ukraine to sway public opinion in Taiwan.
That warning comes after national security officials say China could seek to use the situation between Russia and Ukraine to promote its Taiwan unification policies.
This comes as the US and all 27 European Union member nations are ordering initial penalties targeting Russian officials over their actions in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden announced sanctions of Russian financial institutions and officials, for what he called "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine".
And EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell says a package, approved by member nations, would affect members of Russia's lower house of parliament, and other people involved in approving the deployment of Russian troops to separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine.
Germany also announced it would halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, a massive, lucrative deal long sought by Moscow.
