Taiwan Defense Minister Remains Silent on Missile Donation to Ukraine and Arms Purchase from U.S.

TAIPEI: Defense Minister Wellington Koo remained non-committal on Wednesday regarding reports about Taiwan's donation of decommissioned missiles to Ukraine and the potential pursuit of a major arms deal with Washington. According to Focus Taiwan, Forbes reported that Taiwan had donated its surplus HAWK surface-to-air missile batteries to Ukraine's air force. When questioned during a legislative session in Taipei, Koo mentioned that Taiwan was managing the decommissioning of its outdated HAWK missiles, originally purchased from the U.S., in line with relevant regulations. He stated that if requested by the U.S., Taiwan would return the HAWK missiles, allowing the U.S. to decide their subsequent use. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) provided further clarification, noting that the regulations Koo referred to pertain to the management of military items and equipment, including obsolete military equipment. The MND emphasized that under American government rules, the U.S. has the right to request the retur n of decommissioned U.S.-made weapons systems. Koo also addressed a Financial Times report suggesting that Taiwan might consider a significant weapons purchase, possibly involving Aegis destroyers, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, Patriot missiles, and F-35 fighter jets, as a demonstration of its commitment to defense to the incoming Donald Trump administration. While Koo affirmed Taiwan's openness to evaluating all options for its defensive needs, he refrained from discussing specific weapons systems or confirming any interest in the items mentioned in the report. Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo responded to the Financial Times report by stating that there were no new discussions on arms sales with the U.S. She highlighted that Taiwan and the U.S. regularly engage in discussions and assessments regarding military needs, but no new stages of discussions are currently in progress.