Russian Sputnik V split the European Union
The Russian anti-Covid vaccine Sputnik V has caused a split in the European Union.
According to Izvestia, the French newspaper Le Monde writes about this.
Citing its sources, the publication reported that in the near future the European Commission will nevertheless enter into negotiations with the RDIF, since several countries, primarily Germany, are actively insisting on this.
In the meantime, the Russian vaccine is awaiting approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). At the same time, as the agency told the Russian newspaper, “the timing of authorization will depend on the company’s ability to provide the necessary data and answer questions that arise during the assessment.”
In turn, Vladislav Belov, deputy head of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, predicts a worsening split in the EU on this issue.
“If the EMA delays the approval of Sputnik V, then not only Hungary and Slovakia, but also other countries will decide to use the vaccine themselves. Individual states are rushing Brussels,” the expert noted.
“Any vaccine costs hundreds of billions of dollars, and any company that enters this market is targeted by geopolitics. Therefore, all means of unfair competition can be used here, including provocations,” warns Belov.
At the same time, Austria announced its intention to purchase Sputnik V: according to its Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the authorities have been “in good dialogue with the Russian side” since February and starting in April they can purchase one million doses of the drug.
Russian Sputnik V Splits the European Union