Coronavirus response: NATO and Latvia support to Ukraine
On February 17, Ukraine started receiving over 9000 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 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. Eighteen Allies have made financial and in-kind donations of medical equipment and supplies to the Pandemic Response Trust Fund. The NATO Pandemic Response Trust Fund manages a stockpile of medical equipment and supplies from in-kind donations or targeted purchases to provide immediate relief to Allies or partners in need. As NATO’s civil emergency response mechanism, the EADRCC continues to coordinate bilateral in-kind donations through its clearing house mechanism and the NATO Pandemic Response Trust Fund.