The United States President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured to provide all assistance to the people of India, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country to fight with deadly coronavirus crisis.
In a tweet, Biden acknowledged last year’s assistance from India to America when the US was facing a healthcare crisis. Biden tweeted on Monday that just as India sent assistance to the United States as their hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, now America is determined to help India in its time of need.
Last year during the first Covid-19 wave, India shipped 50 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the United States following a request by then US President Donald Trump. The President was spending his weekend at his home in Delaware but is believed to be following up the developments in India.
Vice President Kamala Harris also said in a tweet that the US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming Covid-19 outbreak.
The tweets by Biden and Harris are the first reactions by the top American leadership after the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The two have been criticized by friends of India in the US, including some of their own party leaders, for slow response to the American help to their natural ally.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said she has been in close touch with Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla and India’s Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu in recent days on the issue. Sherman said the American people stand in solidarity with India during these difficult times. The US government is rapidly providing therapeutics, ventilators, PPE, raw material for vaccines, and more.
Earlier on Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval during which the White House announced that it is urgently sending medical supplies and equipment to save lives in India.
India’s Ambassador to US Sandhu thanked both US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Sullivan for their prompt response. In a tweet he said thank you Sullivan for reach out to help Indians and support.
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, Congressional India Caucus Vice Chair and Member of the House Armed Services Committee, applauded the Biden administration and said international cooperation and humanitarian assistance are the hallmarks of a truly progressive foreign policy.
Khanna applaud the Biden administration’s decision to put people over profits and provide additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), oxygen, and other medical supplies to India. He also said that the administration should also call on Pfizer and Moderna to provide an intellectual property waiver for six months to a year as India grapples with the Covid-19 crisis.
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In a statement, Khanna said he is looking forward to joining the India Caucus leadership on a call with Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu to discuss what additional steps the US can take to help India during this incredibly difficult time.