Foreign Deputy Minister François Wu (吳志中) recently headed to Slovakia to attend a press conference on aid to Ukraine, where he presented the results of the Taiwanese government’s cooperative efforts with other democratic countries toward Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Accompanied by Lee Nan-Yang (李南陽) from the Taipei Representative Office in Bratislava (TROB), Wu recounted how Taiwan has maintained support for Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022. It has since raised NT$390 million (USD$11.9 million) in private donations, worked with the Slovakian government to donate USD$2.1 million to assist Ukrainian refugees, and transported more than 350 tons of humanitarian aid.
According to Wu, the TROB signed a joint agreement with the Open Society Foundation and the Pontis Foundation in Slovakia last year. Through this agreement, Taiwan donated a further USD$5 million to assist with the reconstruction of medical and educational facilities in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region.
Open Society Foundation Director Fedor Blaščák and Pontis Foundation Co-CEO Michal Kišša expressed their gratitude for Taiwan’s support and explained that, through this agreement, a total of 51 aid projects were implemented in Ukraine.
Olha Osadcha, a representative of the Chernihiv region for the Association of Ukrainian Cities, was also in attendance at the conference. She personally thanked Taiwan, saying that these efforts have helped thousands of children in the region attend school normally despite the threat of missiles.