World News | India Thanks Russia for Support and Aid During Second Wave of COVID-19

Moscow, Jul 9 (PTI) India on Friday thanked Russia for the support and aid when the country was battling a deadly second wave of the coronavirus in April and May this year.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov here, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said: "I would like to express my appreciation for the support we (India) got from Russia during the second wave of the COVID pandemic this year.

"There were four consignments which were flown-in on a very expedited basis by the Russian Government," he said.

"India has become a partner of Russia in the production and use of the Sputnik V vaccine and we believe that this is not only good for the two of us but it has positive implications for the rest of the world," Jaishankar said.

A deadly wave of the pandemic led to a spike in the number of cases and deaths in India in April and May this year.

In the midst of the deadly wave in late April and early May, Russia had sent four planes full of medical supplies, mainly consisting of oxygen concentrators, ventilators and medicines.

Jaishankar said India and Russia share a "time-tested and trust-based relationship" which has further strengthened in the last year, amidst the pandemic.

So far, India has recorded 3,07,52,950 cases and 4,05,939 COVID-19 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)