A total of 28 Taiwanese nationals have chosen to remain in Ukraine despite Taiwan’s government repeatedly urging them to leave while they still can, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday, with several Western governments warning of an imminent Russian invasion.
Since Saturday when the ministry first urged Taiwanese in the Eastern European country to leave, it has directly contacted 34 Taiwanese citizens in Ukraine, according to MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (???).
As of Tuesday afternoon, six of those have left the country while another nine have temporarily moved from the capital Kyiv to the western city of Lviv close to the border with Poland, Ou said.
Although the government respects the decision of Taiwan nationals to stay, Ou said the country’s representative office in Russia, which is in charge of Ukraine affairs, is in close contact with the 28 Taiwanese known to be still in Ukraine to provide them with the latest updates.
According to Ou, those who have chosen to stay told Taiwanese officials they do not feel any urgency to leave, despite a warning from the United States that Russia could invade the Eastern European country soon.
Currently, Taiwan and 31 countries around the world have asked their nationals to leave Ukraine, according to MOFA.
In the event of an emergency Taiwanese in Ukraine can call +7-969-008-6111 to seek assistance from Taiwan’s de facto representative office in Moscow — the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission, MOFA said.
They can also get in touch with the Taiwan Trade Center in Kyiv, which is run by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), at +380-44-537-0982, the ministry added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel