RU-WORLD (MИP)

US President Donald Trump has said he expects that Russia and Saudi Arabia could drastically curtail their oil output after a conversation between the two nations’ leaders. Moscow denies that any talks took place at all.

Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to relay some “great” news for the oil and gas industry, as he expressed his hopes for some supposedly upcoming cuts in crude oil production by Saudi Arabia and Russia which could reverse the current plunge in oil prices. According to the president, oil production could be scaled back by as many as 10 million barrels in total – or even “substantially more.” Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020

In his statement, Trump referred to his conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who he said had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This statement seems somewhat bizarre, since Moscow has confirmed that the talks never occurred, nor are there any plans to cut production.

“No, there was no such conversation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Interfax news agency when asked about Putin’s supposed talks with the Saudi crown prince. Moscow said earlier that no talks between the two nations have been held since the strife between Russia and the OPEC members earlier in March, which was described as an oil price war between Moscow and Riyadh. Also on rt.com Oil recovers from decades' lows as Russia & US agree energy talks

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

Certain political groups in the West will not hesitate to use the difficulties brought on by the coronavirus pandemic to carry out their long-lasting plans to topple the Venezuelan government, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing how certain countries – we should say, not the countries as a whole, but certain political forces there – are still being driven ... by the desire to exploit the difficult situation in the world, the grave epidemiological situation in Venezuela to achieve their political goals,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday.

In particular, Zakharova called the drug trafficking charges brought by the US against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro “fabricated.” She also compared Washington’s idea of forming a transition government in Venezuela to “a joke,” adding that the US announced its plans for Caracas amidst “a de facto global moratorium on all major political and social events” as the world battles the Covid-19 pandemic.

If we are to analyze the absurd plans [of the US] in the context of the pandemic, [we will see] that there is no humanism or democracy there. Also on rt.com Not letting Covid-19 crisis go to waste? US ramps up war on drugs… focusing on Venezuela’s Maduro

Last month, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro and more than a dozen current and former high-ranking Venezuelan officials with conspiring with Colombian militants to “flood” the US with cocaine.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that warships will be deployed to conduct anti-drug operations near Venezuelan shores. It is reported to be one of the largest American military operations in the region since 1989, when the US invaded Panama and imprisoned its leader Manuel Noriega on drug charges.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, offered to form a “transition government” that would take over the country after Maduro’s supposed removal from power. Also on rt.com Coup plan B! US tells Guaido he may renounce his Venezuela ‘presidency’ claim – but they’ll still support him

Caracas has blasted the increase of pressure from the US, with Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza saying that Venezuela “does not accept, and will never accept, any patronage from any foreign government.”

A total of 144 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Venezuela, while three patients have died, according to the data by Johns Hopkins University. The UN has called for the lifting of sanctions on several countries, Venezuelan among them, as they make it harder to acquire vital medicine.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

European hospitals are running critically low on crucial medicines needed to treat Covid-19 patients in intensive care and some expect to run out of the necessary supplies in less than two weeks.

In a statement, the European University Hospital Alliance called on European governments to “intensify collaboration and coordination” for the supply of medical goods.

In addition to the need for more ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, it said the “most urgent need” is now for the drugs to treat ICU patients.

A survey of EUHA members found existing hospital stocks of muscle relaxants, sedatives and pain-killing drugs are being “consumed rapidly” and with insufficient and even “non-existing” resupply. It said stocks in some “hardest hit” hospitals could be empty in just two days. Also on rt.com More than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Europe: AFP tally

The situation has led some hospitals across Europe to buy alternative drugs. The group said it was “extremely worrying that overworked and often less experienced nurses and doctors-in-training, drafted in to fill the gaps, have to use products and dosages that they are not used to.”

The statement also noted that some countries had responded to shortages by refusing the export, but not the import, of the drugs in question, but said this could prevent drugs from reaching hospitals in desperate need.

The EUHA added that “no single country in Europe has the production facilities to provide all of the drugs (or PPE, or ventilators) needed” and called for more cross-border collaboration.

A coordinated response will also be of “vital importance” to ensure any new or existing drugs proven to be effective against the Covid-19 virus are available to hospitals that need them most to “maximize the benefit.” Also on rt.com Covid-19 deaths in Europe spike past 30,000 – AFP tally

On Thursday, the EU's industry chief Thierry Breton told France Inter radio that the bloc “foresaw there would be tensions over a number of medicines” and that pharmaceutical companies were doubling production to address shortages. “I think we're going to be able to address the situation,” he said, without offering further details.

As of April 2, there were more than 500,000 cases of the novel coronavirus infection recorded across Europe, with more than 30,000 deaths, according to tallies by the AFP news agency. Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases is rapidly approaching one million.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his self-isolation period, but now he has to go back into quarantine after another senior official tested positive for Covid-19.

Netanyahu is one of several top government officials who will be quarantined following the positive test of Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. Others include Yossi Cohen, the head of the Israeli spy agency Mossad, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and several leadership-level figures in the Health Ministry who all recently came into contact with Litzman.

The 71-year-old health minister and his wife Chava were found to have contracted the killer virus, his office confirmed on Wednesday overnight. Both feel well, but in line with the ministry’s guidelines, everyone who came into contact with him must go into a 14-day quarantine. Also on rt.com Israeli PM Netanyahu self-isolating after aide tests positive for coronavirus

Ironically, Netanyahu had just ended his own period of isolation, which was mandated after his Knesset affairs adviser, Rivka Paluch, tested positive for the disease. The two-week quarantine from their previous encounter expired on Wednesday evening.

The Israeli leader last tested negative for the disease on Monday. He will be working from his Jerusalem residence, his office said in a statement.

The ministry is currently investigating who else may need self-isolation. Litzman attended the Israeli parliament last week, so security footage is being reviewed to identify those he came into contact with. Also on rt.com WATCH: Arab neighborhood in Jaffa erupts in riot after Israeli cops target alleged virus quarantine-breaker

It was not immediately clear where the minister himself contracted the virus. Itamar Grotto, the deputy director-general of the ministry, said it may have been another senior government official or someone within the Haredi community in Jerusalem. Litzman is the head of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party.

As of Thursday, the Health Ministry identified 6,211 Covid-19 cases in Israel, with 29 patients dead so far.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

There are now more than 500,000 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus across Europe, according to the latest tally by the AFP news agency.

The new count comes as the death toll from the virus has topped 10,000 in Spain, with confirmed cases there surging to over 110,000. French health officials confirmed 509 deaths from the virus yesterday, taking the country's death toll to more than 4,000.

The UK also saw its biggest daily rise in coronavirus deaths this week, with 563 new fatalities reported on Wednesday. Confirmed cases of the infection have been soaring in the UK, with almost 30,000 testing positive for the virus as of April 1.

AFP reported on Wednesday that 30,000 lives have been lost to the pandemic so far in Europe, with Italy accounting for more than a third of that number.

The world has witnessed a "near-exponential" growth in the number of new cases over the past five weeks, said World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, as the number of confirmed infections soared towards one million worldwide. Also on rt.com Covid-19 deaths in Europe spike past 30,000 – AFP tally

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

German tabloid Bild has come under fire after airing an interview with an ex-Playboy model who founded a controversial online startup selling pricey coronavirus home test kits. The company appeared to raise many red flags.

“Now, you can get coronavirus tests delivered right [to your] home,” a smiling presenter happily tells Germans in a video titled ‘You have to pay attention to it! This is how a coronavirus home test works’, published on Bild’s website. The announcement might well sound like salvation for people amid the coronavirus epidemic, which has already infected more than 67,000 across the country.

The capacities of testing laboratories have been stretched thin since the start of the outbreak, and lines in front of the test centers have been long. The Bild video says, however, that anyone can find out whether they need to self-isolate in a couple of days just by purchasing a home test kit. This ‘clarity’ comes at a price though, since the kit costs €249 ($272), according to the online startup offering this service. Also on rt.com In search of a coronavirus killer: Can existing drugs really turn the tide in the Covid-19 pandemic?

A young woman presented as the startup’s ‘co-founder’ then went to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate in person how these home tests should be properly used and to apparently assure viewers that this is all serious business. Other German media outlets, however, quickly discovered that something about the story wasn’t adding up.

The startup appeared to be tight-lipped about the most essential part of the process – the testing itself, since it did not mention any specific laboratory it works with by name. Instead, it only mentioned that the home test samples will be “tested in certified German laboratories in your area.” Its ‘co-founder’ also told Bild that the company simply cooperates with facilities that have the “capacity” to process additional home samples alongside their regular testing, which may sound odd taking into account the overall situation. Head of #Germany ’s Robert Koch Institute defends #COVID19 optimism but says current mortality rate will rise https://t.co/dk g8X9Ej2X pic.twitter.com /uwlFL2HOnC — RT (@RT_com) March 31, 2020

It seems unlikely, however, that the woman in the video identified as Jessica Czakon would have extensive contacts in the field of medicine. After all, she appears to be neither a doctor nor a microbiologist, but an Instagram blogger and former Playboy model.

The second co-founder and ‘managing director’, Gennaro Piro, hardly has any medical qualifications either. According to German media , the man is known for selling Instagram followers through his website rooketboost.de.

An investigation conducted by VICE also claimed that the venture, which went under the names of Medi.Lab, Corona-Testen, and Corona-Abstrich, passed someone else’s materials off as its own. According to VICE, photos of its test kits were taken from German newspaper TAZ’s piece on another manufacturer’s coronavirus tests, while its questionnaire was taken from a Berlin laboratory that said it never worked with the controversial startup and called its materials “fraudulent.” Also on rt.com Germany to extend coronavirus lockdown and social distancing to April 19

The company’s Instagram account which supposedly featured all these materials has since been shut down.

When VICE asked a German industrial safety watchdog to inspect the suspicious company, it turned out that “there was not even a mailbox” at its supposed registered address. The case was then handed over to the regional public prosecutor’s office in Hannover, which is now expected to look into the activities of the business.

Bild, which is known for publishing sensationalist material, apparently took all the information presented by the company at face value. Not to mention, its video suspiciously resembles an advertisement, as other media outlets pointed out, but is not marked as such. So much for a publication that from time to time lectures its colleagues on ‘professional journalism’!

Axel Springer publishing house, which owns Bild, brushed off these accusations, saying the tabloid simply informed its readers about the coronavirus home test kits “in an understandable and descriptive way.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

Belgium’s death toll from the Covid-19 virus has topped 1,000, officials have confirmed, with 183 new deaths in the last 24 hours.

As of April 2, Belgium, which has a population of 11.4 million, has recorded more than 15,300 cases of the coronavirus infection.

Health officials in the country said earlier this week that a 12-year-old girl infected with Covid-19 had died of the illness, noting that such a young fatality is a "very rare occurrence."

Belgium is one of many countries in Europe on an almost total lockdown to battle the coronavirus crisis. Belgians are only allowed to leave their homes to buy essentials like food, to help others in need, or for health-related reasons.

Confirmed cases of the disease approached one million worldwide, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Also on rt.com 12yo girl dies of Covid-19 in Belgium, as country counts 700+ victims

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

A total of 950 Covid-19 patients have died in Spain in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll from the coronavirus to over 10,000 people.

With 10,003 deaths from Covid-19 as of Thursday, Spain has become the second European nation, after Italy, where the disease has killed more than 10,000 patients.

The number of confirmed cases across the country has grown by 8,102, bringing the total to 110,238. Nearly 27,000 people have recovered since the start of the outbreak.

Spain, where the disease has been raging since February, remains Europe’s second hardest-hit country, with the daily death rate dramatically surging in recent weeks. Also on rt.com Spain surpasses 100,000 Covid-19 infections, records 5th consecutive day with 800+ deaths

On March 15, the government declared a nationwide quarantine in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Health Minister Salvador Illa said that the government will “take further steps to reduce movement” across the country.

The most-affected nation in Europe – Italy – has reported 110,574 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 13,155 deaths as of Wednesday.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back at the US after President Trump accused Iran of planning a "sneak attack" on US troops and assets in Iraq.

Zarif took to Twitter to warn his followers not to “be [misled] by usual warmongers, AGAIN,” then tagging US president Donald Trump. “Iran has FRIENDS. No one can have MILLIONS of ‘proxies’,” he continued. Don’t be mislead by usual warmongers, AGAIN, @realDonaldTrum p :

Iran has FRIENDS: No one can have MILLIONS of"proxies"

Unlike the US—which surreptitiously lies, cheats & assassinates—Iran only acts in self-defense. Openly

Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 2, 2020

Zarif’s tweet came after Trump tweeted on Wednesday that Iran was planning a “sneak attack on US troops” and warned that the country would pay a “heavy price” if it or its allies attacked US troops based in Iraq. Trump said this was based “upon information and belief.” Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020

Trump did not make clear whether or not the US actually has knowledge of such a plan. The accusation came after the senior Iranian general who replaced the slain Qassem Soleimani as the head of Iran’s Quds Force arrived in Baghdad, according to Iraqi officials. Also on rt.com ‘Upon information & belief’: Trump warns of potential Iran ‘sneak attack’ on US forces in Iraq

Qassem Soleimani, one of Iran’s highest-ranking military officials, was killed in an attack by a US drone strike in early January. Iran responded with a retaliatory attack soon after, launching ballistic missiles at two bases housing US troops in Iraq.

The escalation of the battle of words between Tehran and Washington comes as Iran has been badly hit by the coronavirus crisis, which the UN Secretary General says has been heightened by international sanctions. Also on rt.com In a time of pandemic, the US prepares for war – but Iran’s weakness is grossly exaggerated

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

Cuba has slammed the US’ "criminal blockade" of the country after the embargo stood in the way of the delivery of Covid-19 test kits and ventilators donated by Chinese e-commerce tycoon Jack Ma.

“The criminal blockade of the imperial government violates the human rights of the Cuban people,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted on Wednesday. #NoMásBloq ueo #CubaSalvaVidas The criminal blockade of the imperial government violates the human rights of the Cuban people. #SomosCuba #SomosContinuid ad https://t.co/rl uHN6OvVQ — Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) April 1, 2020

Cuba’s envoy to Beijing, Carlos Miguel Pereira, explained that an American firm was hired to deliver medical goods necessary to fight Covid-19, which were donated by a fund run by Jack Ma, Chinese philanthropist and owner of e-commerce giant Alibaba. However, the firm refused to deliver the shipment “at the last minute,” Pereira said.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the company had specifically worried about the possibility of violating the 1995 US Helms-Burton Act, which strengthened sanctions against Cuba.

Cuba has 212 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with six deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Also on rt.com Not letting Covid-19 crisis go to waste? US ramps up war on drugs… focusing on Venezuela’s Maduro

Ma announced last month that his foundation would donate emergency medical supplies to Cuba and 23 other Caribbean and South American nations. The donation was said to include 2 million masks, 400,000 test kits, and 104 ventilators.

The US has maintained a trade embargo against Cuba since 1960.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Award-winning songwriter and musician Adam Schlesinger has passed away after contracting Covid-19 and spending several days on a ventilator, according to his attorney. He was 52 years old.

The musician died in a New York Hospital on Wednesday, his lawyer Josh Grier told the Associated Press. Winning three Emmy awards and one Grammy, Schlesinger was perhaps best known for his work with the New York City-based band Fountains of Wayne and its Grammy-nominated single ‘Stacy’s Mom’.

He also wrote music for a number of films and television shows, including the 1997 comedy ‘That Thing You Do’ – directed by Tom Hanks, who has also contracted the coronavirus – and more recently was a songwriter for the musical comedy series ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’.

The artist’s passing was mourned by thousands of fans, as well as his colleagues in the entertainment industry, hailing Schlesinger as “an otherworldly talent and inspiration.” Adam Schlesinger was an otherworldly talent and inspiration to me. Still pinching myself for all the things we made together. You will be deeply missed, sir. The world is less without that thing you do.

Our hearts go out to your family. pic.twitter.com /kHe8eOxjVi — Julian Smith (@JulianWasHere) April 2, 2020 Saddened by the loss of Adam Schlesinger. I was hooked the second I heard Radiation Vibe. Had the pleasure of playing behind Adam at a Cabinet of Wonders show. He was a real fun guy to play with & a lovely dude to talk with. Love to Adam's family/friends: https://t.co/Cu FBJccuHa — Patrick Berkery (@PatrickDBerkery) April 2, 2020 I spent a summer on Martha's Vinyard with Adam Schlesinger. Paul's Boutique dropped & he went ape-shit: "This is unprecedented!" We listened to it nonstop in his car on our way to get late-night subs (grinders) for our friends. I'll never forget you. A genius then, now, & forever — Asa Somers (@AsaSomers) April 2, 2020 RIP Adam Schlesinger

One of the best ever. Thank you for the inspiration ❤️ — BASS DRUM OF DEATH (@bassdrumofdeath) April 2, 2020

Schlesinger is survived by his two daughters.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has warned that those who violate quarantines amid the Covid-19 crisis could wind up dead, ordering security forces to fire upon violent ‘troublemakers’ as the country battles the outbreak.

The stark warning came during an unscheduled televised address on Wednesday night, in which Duterte told the police and military to adopt a gloves-off approach for violators of lockdown measures on Luzon – the country’s largest and most populous island – imposed last month to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

“I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and the military, as well as the [districts], that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line, shoot them dead,” the president said.

Do you understand? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I'll send you to the grave. Also on rt.com 3 US Navy troops on board aircraft carrier in Philippines test positive for coronavirus in first-ever case on deployed ship

Duterte gave his address just hours after 21 residents in Quezon City – most of them low-income factory and construction laborers, unable to work during the lockdown – were arrested for protesting without a permit. The arrests were condemned by labor group Solidarity of Filipino Workers (BMP), which castigated the government for targeting impoverished people asking for assistance during the crisis.

The president asked those in need of aid to be patient, urging them to “just wait for the delivery even if it’s delayed, it will arrive and you will not go hungry,” but warned residents “do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will surely lose.”

The sweeping lockdown order has placed Luzon’s entire population of 57 million into “enhanced community quarantine,” limiting movement around the island to buying food, medicine and other essential items, and shutting down all but vital industries.

The Philippines has confirmed over 2,300 cases of Covid-19 and counted 96 fatalities. The World Health Organization, however, has observed that due to the low number of tests administered there, there are likely a greater number of infections, but said it expected screenings to “increase substantially in the coming days.” Also on rt.com America’s rich work from home & whine while poor lose jobs or get exposed to coronavirus – poll

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

US President Donald Trump has announced a massive naval deployment in the Caribbean to prevent drug cartels from ‘exploiting’ the Covid-19 pandemic, with the military singling out Venezuela as a major threat to America.

“We must not let the drug cartels exploit the pandemic to threaten American lives,” Trump said at the outset of what was scheduled to be a daily Covid-19 task force press conference.

Raising the specter of a national security threat, the US military officials warned Americans of a growing menace from “criminals, terrorists and other malign actors,” but called out only Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by name.

“The Venezuelan people continue to suffer tremendously due to Maduro and his criminal control over the country, and drug traffickers are seizing on this lawlessness,” said Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Also on rt.com Hard pass on the Noriega remix? US narcotrafficking charges against Maduro straight out of Panama playbook

Also present for the announcement was General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who declared three wars in a single breath – on the coronavirus pandemic, terrorists and drug cartels – distracting from the fast-accelerating health crisis gripping the country.

Attorney General William Barr was on hand as well, to announce the action. The Department of Justice indicted Maduro on “narco-terrorism” charges last week, accusing the socialist leader of conspiring with Colombian militants to “flood” the United States with cocaine. Apparently short on evidence, however, the State Department on the same day issued a $15 million reward for any “information related to” the Venezuelan president.

In addition to Maduro, the US accused 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials for their alleged roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy, though Washington has yet to offer up evidence to support any of the charges. Narco Rubio admits the "war on drugs" is a cheap cover for US interventionism and stealing resources.

He doesn’t have much to say about the cartels that enriched his ex-con cocaine cowboy brother-in-law Orlando Cicilia, or the US-backed Colombian government they control. https://t.co/ET IeGEJTcK — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) April 1, 2020

While Esper declined to say how long the mission would last, the Caribbean deployment will involve several Navy destroyers and other warships, Air Force surveillance craft and some 10 Coast Guard cutter vessels, which Trump said would double US drug interdiction efforts in the region.

Seemingly thrilled about the prospect of a Manuel Noriega redux – the Panamanian leader charged with drug trafficking in the 1980s and later ousted from power in a US invasion – Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) taunted Maduro, who he said would not find the American military presence near his borders “comforting.” Also on rt.com Coup plan B! US tells Guaido he may renounce his Venezuela ‘presidency’ claim – but they’ll still support him

The change of strategy comes after more than a year of efforts to remove Maduro from office, imposing a raft of crippling sanctions targeting the country’s vital petroleum sector, as well as supporting self-declared “interim president” and opposition figurehead Juan Guaido, whose attempted military coup last April fizzled out.

Seeing that Guaido was unlikely to seize the reins of power anytime soon, the US State Department called on the politician to renounce his claim to the presidency on Tuesday, instead asking him to take part in a “transition framework” under which Guaido and Maduro would share power until new elections could be arranged.

Caracas swiftly rejected the “pseudo-interventionist proposal" as ridiculous, insisting it would not accept “tutelage from any foreign government.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

The US bought out a planeload of Chinese-made face masks right on the tarmac just as the haul of the much needed protective gear was about to set off for France, the head of a French region told RT.

Facing shortages of protective equipment amid the coronavirus outbreak, France has turned to China to procure the much-needed face masks.

After French legislature adopted a law on the emergent medical situation, local authorities were able to place an order on the equipment in China, paying for it upfront. All in all, his and other regions ordered some 60 million masks, the head of the south-eastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region Renaud Muselier told RT France on Wednesday.

READ MORE: France records worst day of Covid-19 deaths as health official laments ‘totally unprecedented’ situation

“The masks have been already produced and are currently in China. There are troubles with their delivery, though,” Muselier said, adding that the haul was set to arrive in France on Thursday evening.

The country, however, ran into unexpected logistics troubles and not-that-friendly competition from the US, Muselier revealed.

Today in the morning in China, the Americans bought out the French order for cash right on the tarmac. The France-bound plane departed to the US afterwards.

The local authorities will now have to stick to major logistics companies, Muselier said, to ensure that the haul is not outbid or bought out in the loading area again. He added that the delivery is now expected later this week.

The Americans are trying to procure any masks already available, disrupting deliveries to other nations, another report by French daily Liberation indicated.

“They pay double and cash, even before seeing the goods,” an anonymous source told the newspaper. Also on rt.com Threats, attacks, break-ins: French union chief sounds alarm on spike in violence against pharmacy staff amid Covid-19

The US is by far the worst pandemic-affected country in the world as its coronavirus tally is rapidly approaching the 200,000 mark and its death toll surpasses 4,100. France is badly hit by the outbreak as well, with over 50,000 cases registered and some 4,000 dead (all numbers updated for the time of publication).

Full interview with Renaud Muselier is available in French below

Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.

A Russian military aircraft, carrying supplies needed to fight the coronavirus outbreak, has landed in New York. The haul was sent after President Trump accepted an offer of assistance from Vladimir Putin.

The plane, that took off for its some 8,000-kilometer trek early overnight, has landed in the worst coronavirus-affected US city. The cargo contains personal protective and medical equipment supplies.

The delivery was agreed upon by the Russian and US presidents during a phone call. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed the fast-spreading Covid-19 pandemic as well as major shortages of protective gear in the US, according to the Kremlin press service.

Moscow said it decided to help since the coronavirus pandemic “affects everyone without exception and is of a global nature.” Trump, for his part, described the aid as a “nice” and a “very, very large planeload” of help from Russia. The plane with #Russian medical equipement sent for the benifit of the US to help in the fight with #COVID19 has landed. This is solidarity in action - together we will overcome! #NewYorkCity pic.twitter.com /nU2ZGib3bq — Dmitry Polyanskiy (@Dpol_un) April 1, 2020

The US State Department said as a follow-up to the Trump-Putin call on Monday that the US “has agreed to purchase needed medical supplies,” which were handed over to FEMA on Wednesday.

Even before the cargo plane took off, the delivery had already sent a number of prominent “Russian collusion” enthusiasts among American pundits into a frenzy. The anti-Russia crowd took on the quest to find sinister motives behind the gesture and branded the aid a “propaganda ploy,” claiming it was either useless or even harmful.

The US is by far the worst pandemic-affected country in the world as its coronavirus tally is rapidly approaching the 200,000 mark and death toll surpassing 4,100. Also on rt.com ‘This is NUTS!’ Russiagaters see red over Putin’s planeload of corona-aid for Trump, queue to look gift-horse in mouth

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!