U.S. to donate 200 ventilators to Russia as it reports second-highest number of COVID-19 cases

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the U.S. is donating 200 American-produced ventilators to Russia, where the number of new cases of COVID-19 have skyrocketed in recent weeks.

Russia has reported 308,705 confirmed cases of coronavirus — second only to the U.S., which has reported over 1.5 million cases. The country has reported 2,972 deaths and 85,392 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

“The United States is donating 200 U.S.-produced ventilators to the Russian people to help fight COVID-19,” Mr. Pompeo tweeted.

He said the U.S. has “committed over 15,000 ventilators to more than 60 countries and continue to be a global leader in contributions to fight this pandemic,” with the hashtag “#InThisTogether.”

At the beginning of April, the U.S. purchased 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators and additional medical equipment from Russia following a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.