Diplomatic solutions can prevent conflicts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday, when asked to give Taiwan advice.
Zelenskiy made the remark in response to media queries following a special address he gave via video link to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore from Friday to yesterday.
“How do you recommend that Taiwan stand strong as China seeks to impose its control over a free people, by force if necessary?” a reporter asked the Ukrainian president.
Photo: AFP
Pre-emptive measures should be taken against wars, which “no one benefits from,” except for a few political leaders with ever-growing ambitions, Zelenskiy said.
Action should be taken before a war has started and caused “hundreds of thousands of casualties, and even millions of casualties like we have in Ukraine,” he said. “If there is a way out diplomatically, we need to use the diplomatic way.”
Zelenskiy did not directly mention Taiwan or China in his response, but said that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a lesson for the whole world.
Photo: Reuters
“We need a diplomatic resolution to support countries that are in need of help” and not leave them behind to be assaulted by a more powerful country, he said.
Ukraine respects international law and has “no intention or plan” to invade Russian territory, he said, calling on the world to put the Russian leadership in its place — that is, in its own country.
Zelenskiy thanked everyone who backs Ukraine, saying that the support and attention are not only to ensure the safety of Ukraine, but also the safety of the whole world.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to