USA / US to ship first tranche of 100 ventilators to India next week: White House

Washington: The US will be ready to ship the first tranche of 100 donated ventilators to India next week, President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a conference call, the White House said.

Trump spoke with Modi on Tuesday and “the two leaders discussed the G-7 (summit), the COVID-19 response, and regional security issues”, it said.

“The president was happy to announce that the United States would be ready to ship the first tranche of 100 donated ventilators to India next week,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi in a series of tweets said that he had a warm and productive conversation with his “friend” Trump. “We discussed his plans for the US Presidency of G-7, the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other issues,” he said.

“The richness and depth of India-US consultations will remain an important pillar of the post-COVID global architecture,” Modi tweeted.

Trump spoke about the US presidency of the Group of seven, and conveyed his desire to expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership, to include other important countries including India. “In this context, he extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the next G-7 Summit to be held in USA,” said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement.

Modi commended Trump for his creative and far-sighted approach, acknowledging the fact that such an expanded forum would be in keeping with the emerging realities of the post-COVID world. Prime Minister Modi said that India would be happy to work with the US and other countries to ensure the success of the proposed Summit, the PMO said.

Expressing concern regarding the ongoing civil disturbances in the US, Modi conveyed his best wishes for an early resolution of the situation.

“The two leaders also exchanged views on other topical issues, such as the COVID-19 situation in the two countries, the situation on the India-China border, and the need for reforms in the World Health Organisation,” the PMO said. During the call, Trump warmly recalled his visit to India in February this year. “Modi said that the visit had been memorable and historic on many accounts, and had also added new dynamism to the bilateral relationship,” the statement said. “The exceptional warmth and candour of the conversation reflected the special nature of the Indo-US ties, as well as the friendship and mutual esteem between both leaders,” the PMO statement added.