COVID-19 pandemic

==== Italy ====
[[File:Palazzo Margherita lit in Italian flag to show solidarity under COVID-19 pandemic.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Palazzo Margherita lit in Italian flag to show solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic on 26 March 2020]]

In early March 2020, the Italian government criticised the EU's lack of solidarity with Italy.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Boffey |first1=Daniel |title=Italy criticises EU for being slow to help over coronavirus epidemic |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/11/italy-criticises-eu-being-slow-help-coronavirus-epidemic |access-date=6 June 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=11 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Braw |first1=Elisabeth |title=The EU Is Abandoning Italy in Its Hour of Need |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/14/coronavirus-eu-abandoning-italy-china-aid/ |access-date=6 June 2023 |work=Foreign Policy |date=14 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="politico-corona">{{#invoke:cite news ||last1= Karnitschnig|first1=Matthew |title=China is winning the coronavirus propaganda war |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-china-winning-propaganda-war/ |work=Politico |date=18 March 2020}}</ref> On 22 March 2020, after a phone call with Italian Prime Minister [[Giuseppe Conte]], Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] ordered the [[Russian Armed Forces|Russian army]] to send military medics, disinfection vehicles, and other medical equipment to Italy.<ref name="reuters219081">{{#invoke:cite news ||title=Russian army to send coronavirus help to Italy after Putin phone call |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-italy/russian-army-to-send-coronavirus-help-to-italy-after-putin-phone-call-idUSKBN219081 |work=Reuters |date=22 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="20200328insideover">{{#invoke:cite news || vauthors = Vivaldelli R |title=Quelle polemiche infondate sugli aiuti russi all'Italia |url=https://it.insideover.com/politica/quelle-polemiche-infondate-sugli-aiuti-russi-allitalia.html |work={{Lang|it|[[Il Giornale]]}} |date=28 March 2020}}</ref> In early April, Norway and EU states like Romania and Austria started to offer help by sending medical personnel and disinfectant,<ref name="eumedicalteams">{{#invoke:cite news ||title=Coronavirus: EU Medical Teams deployed to Italy |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_613 |publisher=Europa (web portal) |date=1 July 2020}}</ref> and [[European Commission]] President [[Ursula von der Leyen]] offered an official apology to the country .<ref name="euapology">{{#invoke:cite news ||title=EU offers 'heartfelt apology' to Italy over coronavirus response |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/eu-offers-heartfelt-apology-italy-coronavirus-response-herd-immunity |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=1 July 2020}}</ref>