A Russian military transport plane early yesterday took off from an airfield outside of Moscow headed for the US with a load of medical equipment and masks to help Washington fight COVID-19, Russian state TV reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his country’s help in a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Monday, when the two leaders discussed how best to respond to the virus.
The flight, which was organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, is likely to be unpopular with some critics of Trump, who have urged him to keep his distance from Putin and who have argued that Moscow uses such aid as a geopolitical and propaganda tool to advance its influence, something the Kremlin has denied.
“Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday night.
Trump himself spoke enthusiastically about the Russian help after his call with Putin.
Russia’s Rossiya 24 TV channel yesterday morning showed the airplane taking off from a military airbase outside of Moscow in darkness.
Its cargo hold was reportedly filled with cardboard boxes and other packages.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in the past few years by everything from Syria to Ukraine to election interference, something Russia has denied.
Moscow hopes that Washington might also be able to provide medical help to Russia if necessary when the time came, Peskov said.
“It is important to note that when offering assistance to US colleagues, the president [Putin] assumes that when US manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Peskov, who complained about difficulties expediting the aid to the US thrown up by some US officials, was quoted as saying that Russia and China cooperated in a similar way, because “at a time when the current situation affects everyone without exception ... there is no alternative to working together in a spirit of partnership and mutual assistance.”
Russia has also used its military to send planeloads of aid to Italy to combat the spread of the coronavirus, exposing the EU’s failure to provide swift help to a member in crisis and handing Putin a publicity coup at home and abroad.
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