US Ambassador John Sullivan handed 50 ventilators to Moscow’s Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center on Thursday. The $5.6 million humanitarian aid donation will eventually include a total of 200 US-produced ventilators to save lives in Russia, the envoy said, adding that the two countries are facing a common threat.
The United States is donating 100 percent of the cost, delivery, and startup supplies for the ventilators being delivered. “The US and Russia have helped each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future,” Sullivan said.
The remaining 150 ventilators will be produced by the manufacturer and are expected to be ready for shipment later this month, a spokesperson for the US State Department said.
In April, Russia sent a shipment of medical equipment to the US to help it tackle the coronavirus spread. In accordance with the final agreements between the two governments, the April shipment’s delivery was fully paid for by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. In turn, the US covered all expenses relating to the delivery of the American ventilators to Russia, TASS said.