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Wednesday, 10 March 2021_Russia has brushed off a US allegation that Moscow is discrediting Western-made coronavirus vaccines, as the Russian-made vaccine Sputnik V nears approval as the first non-EU and non-US inoculation in the European Union (EU).
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki accused Russian intelligence services on Monday of working to undermine the US-made Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccines.
She claimed that the White House had identified three online publications that Russia was using to spread disinformation about the two American vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, and protests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the Kremlin had “always been against politicizing issues related to vaccines.”
“Russia has never participated and does not intend to participate in such campaigns against other vaccines,” he said. “All these statements are absurd, have no basis in fact, and we really regret that anyone would take such statements seriously.”
The Russian vaccine itself, the first to have been developed in the world, has been the target of dismissals by Western media, which described it as hastily prepared to serve political purposes.
Now some 46 counties have authorized Sputnik V, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the vaccine outside Russia’s borders.
Sputnik V could be made in EU after reported deals
The Russian vaccine could now be produced in the European Union (EU) nations, as reports say that the RDIF has struck deals with production facilities in Spain, France, and Germany to produce the vaccine.
The RDIF has also signed a deal with Italy to produce shots in the country, according to both the Russian organization and the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce.
They said there were plans for the production in Italy to begin in June and that 10 million doses could be produced by the end of the year.
“This agreement is the first of its kind with a European partner,” Vincenzo Trani, the head of the chamber, said in the statement. “It can be called a historic event, which is proof of the good state of relations between our countries and shows that Italian companies can see beyond political differences.”
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