On October 10, AFP news agency reported on the statements of Mr. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, regarding the US sending Covid-19 test kits to Russia in the early stages of the pandemic. Mr. Peskov said testing equipment at the time was ineffective and supplies were insufficient, so countries had to find ways to exchange with each other. He also confirmed that Russia sent a number of ventilators to the US, and in return, the US side sent test kits to Russia, within the framework of international exchanges.
This information comes after a part of the book War by American journalist Bob Woodward, expected to be published soon, revealed that former President Donald Trump in 2020 sent Covid-19 test kits to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Mr. Woodward, former President Trump and Mr. Putin have had 7 phone calls since 2021. However, Mr. Peskov denied this information, denying there was any such call between the two leaders after 2021, and affirmed that Russia’s sending of equipment to the US only took place at the beginning of the pandemic.
For his part, former President Trump on October 8 denied contacting President Putin about sending testing equipment. Mr. Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, also emphasized that Mr. Trump did not allow journalist Bob Woodward access to write the book, and that the information in the book is inaccurate.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris used content from this book to criticize Mr. Trump, saying it was wrong for him to send testing equipment to Russia during a time when the US had a serious shortage of these equipment. worthy of condemnation. The case is attracting attention and causing controversy in the context that Mr. Trump is preparing for his re-election campaign.