Borrell hopes Russia's Sputnik V vaccine will be certified in European Union

EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrel, on February 5, expressed hopes that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Russia will soon be used across the 27-nation bloc. His remarks came as he addressed press reporters in Moscow saying that  Sputnik V vaccine was a “good news for the whole mankind." Borell is currently on a two-day visit to Russia, a diplomatic move which Russia believes could redeem their “frozen” relationship.

Read: Russia Hopes To Revive Relations With EU With Josep Borrell's Visit

“I take to the floor just to congratulate Russia for this success, and it’s good news for the whole of mankind because it means that we are going to have more tools to face the pandemic. I am very happy to read the scientific report published in the prestigious scientific magazine Lancet and now I am hoping that European Medical Agency will be able to certify the efficiency of the vaccine in order to be used also in the European states,” Borrell said, adding that this would be good news for Europe given the shortage of vaccine doses it saw.

Sputnik V was given approval by the Russian health ministry in August last year and has been used in multiple nations for mass inoculations. Sputnik is based on a modified version of adenovirus, a common cold virus. The vector stripped of its disease-causing genes and modified to carry genetic instructions for making the coronavirus spike protein. This prompts the cells to cause an immune response which eventually protects against the SARS-CoV-2.

Read: Oxford Covid Vaccine To Be Combined With Sputnik V, Trials To Begin Soon

Read: EU's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell Jets To Russia Amid Alexei Navalny Controversy

Borrell jets to Moscow

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell jet to Moscow on February 4 amid jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and crackdown against protesters. According to the Moscow Times, Borrell’s visit marks the first to Russia by a tip EU envoy since 2017. His trip, however, has drawn criticism from some European capitals worried Moscow will spin it as evidence Brussels is keen to return to business as normal. 

But Borrell has insisted that he will deliver “clear message” to the Kremlin despite it blanking Western calls to release Russian President Vladimir Putin’s domestic opponent Navalny, who was on Tuesday given a jail term of almost three years. Apart from Navalny’s detention, the top EU envoy will also be discussing cooperation on issues including enlisting Russia’s help in reviving the Iran nuclear deal and tackling climate change. Russia, on the other hand, also hopes that relation with the 27-bloc nation could become warmer following Borrell’s visit. 

Read: Russia Hopes To Revive Relations With EU With Josep Borrell's Visit