Putin, EU leader discuss use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, says Kremlin
MOSCOW (REUTERS) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Council President Charles Michel discussed the possible use of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 on Monday (March 22), the Kremlin said in a readout of a telephone call.
Mr Putin told Mr Michel that Russia was ready to resume cooperation with the trade bloc, but that ties were currently unsatisfactory due to what he described as the EU’s at times confrontational and non-constructive policies, the Kremlin said.
The EU is under growing pressure to source vaccines after several suppliers, including AstraZeneca, said they couldn’t meet their original delivery schedules.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed Covid-19 vaccines with the leaders of Germany and France on Sunday amid rising tensions about the supply of the shots, the BBC’s political editor said.
“Understand the PM spoke yesterday to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron about vaccine issues – No 10 keep to keep (the) temperature down after von der Leyen words at the weekend,” Ms Laura Kuenssberg said in a tweet.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said vaccine maker AstraZeneca could face a ban on exports of doses if it did not meet its delivery obligations to the bloc.
AstraZeneca expects the EU drug regulator to give approval for a factory in the Netherlands that is helping make its Covid-19 vaccine later this month or in early April, a senior executive said in a briefing on Monday.
The status of the Leiden-based plant, run by sub-contractor Halix, is closely watched as it is listed as a supplier of vaccines in both the contracts that AstraZeneca has signed with Britain and with the European Union.
Mr Ruud Dobber, executive vice-president of the BioPharmaceuticals business, also said the US authorities are “very excited” by its interim analysis of data from its US clinical trial, which shows the vaccine is 79 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19.
But it is up to the US government to decide how they are distributed, he said.
Asked if there was any indication how the shots which will be supplied to the US government under its supply contract may be used, he said he would be “very surprised” if they were not deployed to vaccinate Americans.
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