Russia on Wednesday delivered 60 tons of medical equipment and masks to New York that were purchased by the U.S. in an effort to help fight coronavirus, as confirmed cases in the states topped 200,000 — more than any other country in the world.
The U.S. purchased the supplies shortly after a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about ways to combat the rapid spread of the virus.
“As a follow-up to the March 30 phone call between President Trump and President Putin, the United States has agreed to purchase needed medical supplies, including ventilators and personal protection equipment, from Russia, which were handed over to FEMA on April 1 in New York City,” the State Department said in a statement.
The Russian military transport plane took off from Moscow early Wednesday, carrying 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators and additional medical equipment, a U.S. official told Reuters, and will be inspected by the U.S. authorities before being sent off to hospitals.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media that Mr. Trump “gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid.”
“Both countries have provided humanitarian assistance to each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future,” the State Department continued. “This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all of us.”
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