Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and thanked him for extending support in India's fight against the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
"Had an excellent conversation with my friend President Putin today. We discussed the evolving COVID-19 situation, and I thanked President Putin for Russia's help and support in India's fight against the pandemic," tweeted PM Modi.
PM Modi said they spoke on several issues, including the Sputnik-V vaccine. PM Modi said the cooperation between the two countries on the Sputnik-V vaccine will "assist humanity" in battling the pandemic.
"We also reviewed our diverse bilateral cooperation, especially in the area of space exploration and renewable energy sector, including in hydrogen economy," Modi tweeted. "To add further momentum to our strong strategic partnership, President Putin and I have agreed to establish a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between our Foreign and Defence Ministers," he said in another tweet.
Earlier, Russia extended its support to India amid the raging second wave of COVID-19. Russia plans to fly special planes with a wide range of COVID-related assistance including oxygen generators and concentrators as well as drugs, reported The Hindu. As per the report, Russia will send oxygen generating equipment, pharma supplies of drugs like Favipiravir and Remdesivir. Besides, Russia is also dispatching emergency doses of Sputnik-V vaccine. However, India is likely to start receiving the vaccine by the end of May.
