From Russia With Love? Putin’s Medical Supplies Gift To Coronavirus-Hit Italy Raises Questions

Topline: A coronavirus equipment package sent from Russia to Italy, the worst-hit country outside China, has reportedly been labelled “useless” by Italian officials and prompted accusations that President Vladimir Putin is embarking on a diplomatic charm offensive by exploiting gaps in the European Union’s response to COVID-19.

• The package, dubbed “From Russia With Love” was rushed to Italy on Sunday and according to Reuters, consists of ventilators, disinfectants, masks, protective equipment and testing kits. The move follows a phone call on Saturday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
• But according to the Moscow Times, citing an unnamed ‘high-level political source’ in Italian paper La Stampa, “Eighty percent of Russian supplies are totally useless or of little use to Italy,” the source said.
• The source reportedly went on to accuse Putin of embarking on a “geopolitical and diplomatic” charm offensive, but the report was slammed as “perverse” by Russia’s ambassador to Italy, Sergei Razov, local news agency RIA Novosti reported.
• The deal was finalised by the two countries’ defense ministries, Reuters reported, while supplies were transported in military planes. Military medics were among the team of specialists that landed at a military air base near Rome.
• Italy has in recent days surpassed China by the number of deaths caused by coronavirus: Some 7,500 people have died, followed by Spain, with more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
• Meanwhile Spain, the second worst-hit country in Europe, found that 340,000 rapid coronavirus test kits sent from China that were earmarked for testing of healthcare workers and the elderly in care homes, are largely inaccurate.
• The tests were manufactured by Shenzen-based company Bioeasy delivers results within 15 minutes in a manner similar to a pregnancy test. But microbiologists say the tests do not make sense to use, El Pais newspaper reported.

Tangent: Accusations of Putin trying to win favour from Italian authorities wouldn’t be wholly off the mark, with Italy’s relations with Russia being closer than most EU countries.

Nathalie Tocci, director of the International Affairs think tank based in Rome, told the Financial Times that Russia, by acting fast to send support, was tapping into Italian Euroscepticism and anger at an initially slow EU response.

“Russia needs a quick win, so it wants to act fast…It does what Russia always does, which is seize low-hanging fruit,” Tocci told the FT.

Russia has sought to downplay coronavirus concerns until this week, when Putin finally postponed a vote on constitutional changes that determine his future in power. As of Thursday afternoon, there are at least 840 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Russia, data from Johns Hopkins shows. The sheer size of the country poses unique challenges in managing COVID-19 spread and reporting, but Putin has said that Russians will be off work next week to slow its spread. 

Key background: The rapid acceleration in new cases of COVID-19 in Europe, and deaths caused by it, has seen hospitals and care facilities in Italy and Spain overwhelmed under the weight of demand for healthcare. Concerns about shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) has prompted gestures from overseas and donation efforts, but these latest concerns raise questions about just how effective these acts of solidarity are. Meanwhile, a global run on facemasks and PPE has prompted the likes of fashion companies—including Zara, H&M, Prada and LVMH, to pivot their production to making the vital equipment most in demand by healthcare professionals around the world.