A number of European countries, including NATO members, would like to receive assistance from Moscow to combat the spread of COVID-19, but their “senior comrades” are opposed to this.
This was broadcast on the program “Big Game” on Channel One by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov.
According to the diplomat, despite the difficult epidemiological situation, some states reduce the fight against the virus to geopolitics.
Lavrov also noted that part of the media, including the Italian, are trying to distort the real situation and give out Russian assistance “almost like a military invasion” of NATO territory.
Help to Italy
Since March 22, 15 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces have already arrived on the Apennines, delivering eight medical and nursing teams, equipment for the diagnosis and disinfection of premises.
Together with the Italian military, Russian epidemiologists and specialists from the Ministry of Defense carried out disinfection of boarding houses for the elderly in more than 70 settlements of Lombardy. They processed over 600 thousand square meters of internal premises and more than 110 thousand square meters of roads.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Mayo, personally arrived at the Pratica di Mare air base to meet Russian planes and thank doctors and other specialists.
Three more regions asked for help
Lately three other Italian regions – Piedmont, Apulia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia – sent to the Russian embassy requests for help to combat the spread of COVID-19.
As the Russian ambassador to Italy, Sergei Razov, said that news of the heroic work of specialists from Russia spread all over the country, and now other regions on the Apennines have sent official requests to the diplomatic mission.
“As for the estimates of Italians, how normal people are, and there are an absolute majority of those in Italy, how can they relate to a partner who, in the most difficult situation that was in Italy exactly a month ago, extended a helping hand?” – he said.
At the same time, the ambassador added that the EU and NATO reacted negatively to the humanitarian operation of Moscow.