Brett McGurk on Twitter
“Nothing to see here. Just a Russian military aircraft landing at JFK with 60 tons of medical supplies to support America’s #COVID19 response. A propaganda bonanza as our own government shrinks from America’s leadership role in a global crisis. https://t.co/8TKyFqym9E”twitter.com
Bill Browder on Twitter
“What is the US doing accepting “help” from Russia on the Corona virus? This is a humiliating PR stunt with no substance. I guarantee you the next step Russia will say “forget about us invading Ukraine and killing 10k soldiers, give us sanctions relief” https://t.co/eWZ4RpFIBN”
Coronavirus: Russia sends plane full of medical supplies to US
Critics likely to claim Moscow will exploit goodwill gesture as public relations coupwww.theguardian.com
Russia has dispatched a cargo plane with masks and medical equipment to the US after Donald Trump accepted an offer of humanitarian aid from Vladimir Putin to fight the coronavirus outbreak.The plane, a Russian Antonov An-124-100 military transport, left from Chkalovsky airfield outside Moscow on Tuesday night and will arrive in the US on Wednesday after refuelling at Shannon airport in Ireland. Footage from the plane broadcast by Russian state television showed stacks of cardboard boxes in the cargo hold.The delivery is likely to stir controversy among critics of Trump, who have said Putin will portray the goodwill gesture as a public relations coup and use it to bolster Russia's efforts to escape sanctions for meddling in the 2016 US elections.Masks and other medical equipment are also in short supply in Russia, where the number of infected with coronavirus rose by 440 on Wednesday to a confirmed 2,777 cases. The Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, warned Putin last week that the official tally of cases underestimated the severity of the outbreak.------------------------In an apparent error, Trump on Monday said the aid had already arrived from Russia, telling reporters in the White House Rose Garden: "Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice." It was the first mention of aid from Moscow. Later, the Kremlin announced that Putin had offered Trump the aid during a one-on-one telephone conversation when the two sides discussed measures to fight coronavirus."Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid," Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters. "Now that this situation has affected everyone without exception and is global, there is no alternative to joint action in the spirit of partnership and mutual help."------------------------Russia has already sent planeloads of masks and other medical aid to Italy, deploying medics in military vehicles labelled: "From Russia with Love." Russia's military said the aid included 22 vehicles and mobile disinfection labs. Italian officials publicly thanked Russia for the aid. A widely circulated report in the La Stampa newspaper cited senior officials calling the aid 80% "useless".
Finally, assistance from the head of the US government.
