Second batch of US ventilators to be ready for delivery to Russia later this month

WASHINGTON, May 26. /TASS/. The second batch of 150 lung ventilators from the United States will be ready for shipment to Russia later this month, a US Department of State spokesperson told TASS on Tuesday. According to the spokesperson, the United States was donating and delivering 200 ventilators to Russia. "The first 50 ventilators were delivered May 21," the spokesperson said. "The remaining 150 ventilators will be produced by the manufacturer and are expected to be ready for shipment later this month." The ventilators are being manufactured by Vyaire Medical in California and donated to the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center in Moscow. The overall cost of the 200 US-made ventilators and their delivery to Russia is estimated at about $5.6 million. On May 1, US C-17 military transport aircraft with first shipment of 50 US lung ventilators landed in Moscow’s Vnukovo-3 airport. A Pentagon official earlier told TASS said the United States were using military aircraft to deliver medical equipment to Russia due to a very limited number of commercial flights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier pointed out that the US is delivering the equipment free of charge, just like Russia previously did with ventilators for Americans. Moreover, Russia in April sent a shipment of medical materials to help Washington to fight the coronavirus spread. Read more