Trump tells Putin U.S. ready to assist Russia in combating coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Thursday that the U.S. was ready to provide assistance to any country amid the coronavirus pandemic, including Russia, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to commemorate and reflect upon the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. President Trump and President Putin discussed progress on defeating the coronavirus pandemic," he pointed out. 

"President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia. President Trump reaffirmed that the United States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia, but also China, and looks forward to future discussions to avoid a costly arms race. The two leaders also covered other bilateral and global issues," Deere added.

The Kremlin press service, in turn, said in a statement that when discussing the coronavirus situation, Putin and Trump "welcomed bilateral cooperation" and "agreed to boost coordination in this area." "In particular, the U.S. has suggested sending a shipment of medical equipment to Russia," TASS cited the Kremlin press service as saying

To date, a total of 177,160 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 23,803 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 1,625 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, the United States’ coronavirus cases have exceeded 1,230,000 the death toll has topped 73,500.