"He [Esper] also encouraged Allies to sustain military readiness, expose disinformation and propaganda, guard against predatory foreign direct investment, and increase resilience by reducing dependence on Chinese or Russian suppliers for medical equipment, telecommunications, and other necessities," the readout said on Thursday.
However, the United States and Russia have recently cooperated to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Since late May, the United States has given Russian 200 ventilators. In total, the United States will donate Russia medical equipment and components worth $5.6 million.
Russia also provided medical equipment to the United States in the earlier stages of the pandemic. The United States purchased the medical supplies from Russia, including ventilators and personal protection equipment, after the March 30 telephone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United States has mainly expressed more concern of having supply chains that depend too much on Chinese businesses.
