Austrian Chancellor Wants EU to Authorise Use of Sputnik V as Soon as Possible

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The relevant EU bodies should authorise the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus as soon as possible, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.

On 5 March, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Vienna told Sputnik that a delegation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund had held talks with Kurz on possible deliveries of Sputnik V.

The issue of vaccines against COVID-19 is now especially urgent in Europe amid the suspension of the AstraZeneca drug over reported adverse effects.

"Concerning Sputnik V and other vaccines, I strongly insist that the relevant EU bodies issue an authorisation for all safe vaccines as soon as possible. The more vaccines we have, the better the situation is", Kurz told the OE24 broadcaster on Wednesday.

He added that the country might get Sputnik V for mass vaccination.

Kurz previously expressed readiness to get inoculated with the Russian vaccine, if it is approved by the EU. According to the Austrian chancellor, there should be no "geopolitical taboos" in the European Union when it comes to the approval of COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia or China, and all available, effective, and registered vaccines were important in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the European Medicines Agency still reviewing Sputnik V, two EU nations — Hungary and Slovakia — have already approved the Russian vaccine via national emergency procedures.