TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has joined the list of countries urging their citizens to leave Ukraine, but at least some Taiwanese nationals in the Eastern European country reportedly have no plans to withdraw, as they still feel safe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued an advisory on Saturday (Feb. 12) urging Taiwanese citizens not to visit Ukraine while suggesting the approximately 25 citizens studying and working there to leave as soon as possible for their own safety due to growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
Tensions began to escalate in January as Russia massed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border. NATO members have raised the alarm over fears of a Russian invasion, and additional NATO forces have been deployed across eastern Europe.
A Taiwanese citizen surnamed Pan (潘) who works in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv told FTV that she and other Taiwanese she knows living there do not feel the tension and that local media reports are conveying the sense that a war with Russia is not going to happen. "People around me are not anxious about the development at all, and there is no sign of a military buildup in the city," Pan said, adding they have no plans to leave at the moment.
