Lavrov on AstraZeneca theft claims, Afghanistan

Claims in the British press that Russian spies stole the blueprint for the British-made Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are unfounded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

An article in The Sun newspaper recently alleged that Russian spies "stole" the vaccine design to create the Sputnik V jab.

Speaking at a news conference in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, Lavrov said: "I don't think someone will take these unfounded statements seriously."

He also expressed hope that the Taliban will participate in a meeting of the so-called "Moscow format" on Afghanistan on 20 October, which is set to host international diplomats.

Moscow will push for the international community to provide more humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, Lavrov added.

Unlike many other countries, Russia hasn't evacuated its embassy in Kabul and its ambassador quickly met with the Taliban after they took over the capital.

IMAGE: AP