Latvia provides assistance to Ukraine in fight against COVID-19 under NATO program

In response to Ukraine's request to NATO for assistance in combating the coronavirus pandemic, Latvia has provided Ukraine with 9,000 liters of disinfectant, which will be distributed to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and its border guard detachments at border crossing points.

This was said in a statement published on the website of the North Atlantic Alliance on February 17, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"On February 17, Ukraine started receiving over 9,000 litres of surface disinfectant from NATO’s Pandemic Response Stockpile. The donation was coordinated by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Republic of Latvia to respond to Ukraine’s request for international assistance for COVID-19. The disinfectant will be distributed to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and its border guard detachments at border crossing points across the country,” the statement reads.

The surface disinfectant was produced by a Latvian company. Provision of the aid and the transportation to Ukraine was funded by Latvia as part of their in-kind contribution to the NATO Pandemic Response Trust Fund. Following this initial delivery of assistance to Ukraine from NATO, further aid is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, including mobile x-ray units, negative pressure chambers, bio protection coveralls, and portable oxygen generators. 

This support is part of the 11 COVID-19 assistance packages NATO has approved for Allies and partners. 

As reported, Latvia has been providing financial, humanitarian and professional assistance to Ukraine since 2007 in the context of supporting its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, Latvia has been implementing programs to train servicemen, rehabilitate wounded soldiers and children. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently stated that Latvia remains an important partner of Ukraine on its path to the European Union and NATO.

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