Duma Leader Insists Russia Will Save Lives from COVID-19, Whether Iranian, Italian, or American

April 2, 2020 (EIRNS)—Lawmaker Leonid Slutskiy, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs, praised the March 30 phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, and issued a kind of statement of mission, that appears to be shared by several of Russia’s leaders, to do whatever is needed to save every life that can be saved, in whatever part of the world, from the COVID-19 virus.

In his April 1 statement, available on the State Duma website, Slutskiy said, “Contacts between the Presidents of Russia and the United States during the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic are an important factor.”

After reporting that their discussion resulted in Russia airlifting medical supplies to the United States, “which now tops the list of countries with the number of infected people,” he concluded:

“Russia in the context of the civilizational struggle against the pandemic, in general, helps people simply survive, whether it is Iranians, Italians, or Americans. This is the most important humanitarian mission without relying on the ‘political effect’ such as lifting of sanctions or change of tone in a mutual dialogue. And this, I believe, is the most correct position.”