Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said Russia has seen minimal losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and has handled the situation better than the U.S. — which he says has been distracted by political priorities.
Russia, with a population of 144.5 million, has reported one of the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world at 528,267, third behind the U.S. and Brazil. Despite the high number of cases, Russia has reported 6,938 deaths from the virus and 279,536 recoveries.
But experts have questioned the legitimacy of the official tallies.
“We are working rather smoothly and emerging from this situation with the coronavirus confidently and, with minimal losses,” Mr. Putin said in an interview with state television. “But in the [United] States that is not happening.”
“It seems to me that the problem [in the United States] is that group, in this case party interests, are put above those of society’s as a whole, above the interests of the people,” he continued.
With a population of 328,2 million, the U.S. has reported over 2 million cases of COVID-19, 115,436 deaths and 556,606 recoveries.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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