Our supply chain is close to catching up, but we are still woefully behind in the needs of frontline healthcare workers.
To alleviate some of that strain, President Trump reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has agreed to send a plane full of medical equipment…
🇷🇺🇺🇸 Following phone talk between Presidents #Putin & @realDonaldTrump #Russia sends largest cargo aircraft An-124 Ruslan ✈️ with 😷 medical supplies (masks + equipment) to #US to help fight #COVID19 pandemic, save lives of American citizens. 🤝 The plane is en route #RussiaHelps pic.twitter.com/efeSK78cuB
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 1, 2020
Still Waiting
While Russia has cases of coronavirus, it is among the least impacted major countries right now.
As of this morning, there were a total of 2,777 cases reported throughout Russia.
Now, we have no idea what kind of testing the country has been doing, so we can only go by the released figures.
At some point, though, Russia would figure to see a much larger outbreak, at which point it would expect the United States to respond in kind.
Right now, the United States has the most effective testing for detecting the virus, so it is reasonable to assume that once we have an oversupply of tests, countries will be asking for our test in exchange for the medical supplies they are sending us now.
Additionally, with so many companies now making ventilators, masks, etc., once we are fully supplied and our national stockpiles are restored, we would expect countries to start knocking on our door for these types of supplies as well.
#StopCovid19
Importantly, when offering assistance to the American colleagues, President Putin is guided by the following consideration: when manufacturers of medical equipment gain momentum they will be able to reciprocate if need be – #Peskov https://t.co/tFzUo330ga— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) March 31, 2020
Trump was very appreciative of the aid from the Russians, immediately stating, “And I have to say, we’ve had great relationships with a lot of countries.
“China sent us some stuff, which was terrific.
“Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice.”
The Call
Details of the call between Putin and Trump were immediately released to the media.
The readout stated, “President Trump and President Putin discussed the latest developments and efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“The two leaders agreed to work closely together through the G20 to drive the international campaign to defeat the virus and reinvigorate the global economy.
“The leaders also discussed critical bilateral and global issues. President Trump and President Putin agreed on the importance of stability in global energy markets.”
The cooperation here is important to note due to the fact tensions between Russia and the United States have been considerable in recent months, especially over the situation in the Middle East and the oil markets.
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