Tensions around the approval of Sputnik-V in the European Union are growing.
President Vladimir Putin responded on Monday March 22 to criticism from a senior European official who said Europe did not need a Russian anti-Covid vaccine.
During a meeting on vaccination by video-conference broadcast on television, the Russian head of state got carried away after criticism the day before from European Commissioner Thierry Breton.
"We are not forcing anyone to do anything (...) but we wonder about the interests defended by these people, those of pharmaceutical companies or those of European citizens?" Said Vladimir Poutine.
In addition, the Russian president, 68, affirmed "to intend" to be vaccinated Tuesday, an announcement long awaited whereas he had made a promise in this direction last December.
However, he did not specify whether he would be injected with Sputnik-V, the first developed by Russia, which has meanwhile announced that it has designed two others.
A response to Thierry Breton
The words of the Russian president are a scathing response to the European commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, who maintained that Europe “did not need” the Russian vaccine, Sunday evening, on the French channel TF1.
"Sputnik-V is a complementary vaccine, we have 350 million doses", he declared, assuring that "the Russians have a terrible time to manufacture it and (that) it will undoubtedly be necessary to help them".
"If we have to provide them with one or two factories to manufacture it why not," he said.
On Monday, a Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer stressed that no negotiations were underway to acquire the Sputnik-V but that "the door is not closed forever".
More generally, Vladimir Poutine, during a telephone interview with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, denounced Monday the "confrontational" position of the EU with regard to Russia.
This is before the summit on Thursday and Friday of the 27 which should lead to new sanctions against Moscow because of its human rights violations.
Westerners view Russia's vaccine diplomacy with suspicion, although Sputnik-V seems to convince independent experts.
In February, the scientific journal The Lancet had thus confirmed its effectiveness.
At a time when an application for approval is being examined by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a group of experts from this agency is expected in Russia on April 10 to study the clinical trials carried out for Sputnik-V, according to Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko.
In early March, the President of the EAJ's Governing Board, Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, had "advised" EU member states not to authorize Sputnik-V as a matter of urgency, citing insufficient data at this stage, while several European countries (Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic) have ordered it.
In addition to Brussels, the Kremlin had also accused the United States in mid-March, half-heartedly, of leading a campaign to urge third countries not to use Sputnik-V, especially in Brazil.
A vaccine authorized in 55 countries
The vaccination campaign in the EU suffered many hitches, in particular due to delays in deliveries.
In Russia, it is also sluggish, faced with the skepticism of the population and still reduced local production.
Vladimir Putin said Monday that 4.3 million Russians had received the two necessary doses to date, a modest figure for a population of 146 million.
Russia is therefore seeking to increase production agreements to supply abroad rather than export, reserving its limited capacities to supply the Russian population.
In recent days, for example, it has signed three agreements for the production of 652 million doses in India.
According to the Russian Sovereign Fund (RDIF), which partially funded the development of Sputnik-V, the vaccine is now authorized in 55 countries, covering 1.4 billion people.
With AFP
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