01/23/2026
Taiwan has said it is ready to tighten sanctions enforcement after criticism from the Ukrainian president at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The issue is the supply of components that can be used in the production of Russian weapons.
Taiwan President Lai Tsing-de made his position public on the social network X and later confirmed it in comments to journalists. He publicly stated his intention to intensify work in this direction. Tsing-de emphasized that Taiwan has been coordinating actions with global partners for a long time and is ready to further exchange information with Ukraine.
Taipei’s position
The President of Taiwan noted that his state has long been cooperating with international partners to support Ukraine, including through humanitarian aid and coordinated sanctions. In his publication in X, Lai Tsing-de emphasized the unacceptability of any assistance to the aggressor.
“We welcome further information exchange with President Zelensky to strengthen the fight against illegal transit through third countries and covert end-use,” he wrote. The president also recalled that young Taiwanese were among those who died defending freedom in Ukraine.
Transit control
Speaking to reporters, Lai Qingde expressed hope that Ukraine would provide Taiwan with information on possible sanctions violations. According to him, Taipei is ready to strengthen inspections of goods passing through third countries with a hidden final destination.
He clarified that this is about preventing such goods from entering Russia. This, according to the president, is part of a broader policy of export control and compliance with international embargoes.
Statements in Davos
The Taiwanese leader’s comments came after “Let’s stop this ‘groundhog day'”: Zelensky spoke at the Davos forum. Video. The President of Ukraine said that the Russian Federation is not able to produce missiles without critically important components that come from different countries of the world, including China, Europe, the USA and Taiwan.
Later, Zelensky emphasized that this issue has been raised for several years, but there has been no real halt to such supplies yet. “This must be stopped,” he emphasized, commenting on the situation.
OBOZ.UA previously reported:
– The French Navy has intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. It is reported that the ship may have belonged to a Russian shadow fleet.
– The UK has begun exploring the possibility of using oil seized from tankers of the Russian “shadow fleet” to finance Ukraine’s military efforts. According to the government, such a move would not only deprive Moscow of illegal revenues but also direct these funds to support the Ukrainian resistance.
Quite clearly, sanctions are only as good as their architecture and enforcement. They started out weak, aimless, and disorganized but grew stronger over time. However, they’ve never been as effective as the West had envisioned simply because they never covered every possible aspect to prevent the mafia state from using vital components in their weapons or prevent forbidden ones from reaching them through third states. Ukraine has been reporting on this deficit for a long time now, and nothing or very little has been done to address these issues. The Ukrainian people had to pay the price for this despicable negligence with their blood.
It seems that at least Taiwan has taken note of Mr. Zelensky’s powerful speech in Davos, and shows its willingness to improve things from their end. Thank you for this.
Let’s hope others are also looking in their mirrors to see their cowardly faces and do something about it.
There is no substitute for Ukrainian sanctions. They are permanent.