Europe says it is open to the Sputnik V vaccine. In the eastern part of the continent, this is also a political issue.

Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective, according to the first comprehensive studies by Russian scientists, which published in the British scientific journal Lancet, results.

Russia was the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, launching it before the end of the third phase of clinical trials, raising questions about its safety.

However, in Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine, where Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula and a war broke out in the east of the country, the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine is not only a question of medical safety, but also a political question. . .

“If the Baltic states and Ukraine started using Sputnik V, it would definitely be a political victory for Russia. It would be another additional bridge between Russia and Ukraine, Russia and the European Union,” says Vitalis Rybakas, analyst and project coordinator at Internews Ukraine. .

Ministry of Health for 15 minutes Questions about the availability of Sputnik V vaccines have yet to be answered. However, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė assured in a press conference on Friday that that Lithuania does not intend to buy this vaccine.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief of diplomacy, who visited Moscow on Friday morning, said he expected the Russian vaccine to be used in all member states in the near future and for the European Medicines Agency to confirm its effectiveness.

Professor at Vilnius University, Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences (VU TSPMI) prof. Tomas Janeliūnas says that if the agreements with other vaccine suppliers are stable and clear, Lithuania will likely not even consider purchasing the Sputnik V vaccine.

“The biggest problem with this vaccine is its reliability. Not only factual, which the EU will try to control in one way or another, but also psychological. There are a number of doubts in our society about the reliability of the vaccine, which could endanger the entire vaccination process.

After all, including one of the vaccines, which is a public concern, in the overall vaccination process can increase overall resistance. ” 15 minutes he said.

According to the political scientist, it is currently impossible to separate Russian actions or decisions from political evaluations. And the Russian government, in a rush to approve the vaccine as soon as possible, was also politically motivated.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Seimas Defense and National Security Committee (NSGC), believes that Lithuania should not buy the Sputnik V vaccine. According to him, data on the safety of the vaccine are lacking.

“It just came to our notice then. By offering the vaccine, Russia is trying to break the unity of the EU.

We are moving along the path of a European mechanism that has its strengths and weaknesses. However, for us as a country with such bargaining power, buying through the EU is probably the only realistic scenario. Of course, we want the EU itself to be more efficient, but there are not many alternatives at the moment, ”said L. Kasčiūnas.

The NSGC president believes that Lithuania should adopt a position of principle even if the Sputnik V vaccine is approved by the EU. L. Kasčiūnas hopes that when this happens, Lithuania will have made a breakthrough with vaccines from other manufacturers.

In theory, Latvia is open to vaccines

Latvia is open to all EU-approved vaccines, so in theory Sputnik V would also be open, says Marcis Balodis, a researcher at the Center for Eastern European Policy Studies.

“I don’t think this is a political issue. Because to approve a vaccine, the EU must carry out all the necessary controls to show that it is really effective and safe.” 15 minutes said the researcher.

According to M. Balodis, Russia actively uses Sputnik V for public relations and as a soft power tool, questions could be raised in society regarding the financing of the regime through the purchase of vaccines. The analyst notes that questions also arise about whether Russia really has the capacity to produce enough vaccines and how many of them could be used to export to the West.

“In this case, the EU should make a strategic decision: that we buy vaccines, first of all, from European manufacturers and strategic allies: the United States. And if there is still a lack of vaccines, then it would be possible to start looking for external sources,” he said M. Balodis.

According to the researcher, it is difficult to predict the reaction of Latvian society to the decision to buy Sputnik V. Recently, the health system has received a lot of criticism: at the request of the prime minister, Minister Ilzė Vinkelė resigned, criticized for the mismanagement of the pandemic and the lack of vaccination plans. And the fact that the vaccines reach the country could be a good sign, Balodis said.

Latvian Ministry of Health for 15 minutes He asked if Sputnik V would be considered as the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs.

However, the Latvian and Estonian drug agencies told Politico that they had not spoken to Sputnik V and did not intend to do so.

There is no discussion about the Russian vaccine in the Latvian and Estonian media. It is true that an expert from the Estonian Department of Health, Irina Filipova, told ETV + on Monday that if the Russian vaccine is approved in the EU, it will have the same chances in the country as other vaccines.

Money for vaccines, for war?

At the end of January, the Ukrainian parliament voted to ban the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. Ukraine, where vaccination has not yet started, expects to receive between 100 and 200 thousand in February. Pfizer vaccine doses through the global COVAX initiative. In December, the government was reported to have signed a deal for 1.8 million. doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.

Rybak says the decision to ban the Russian vaccine was primarily due to fears about its safety. But there is an economic aspect.

“If the vaccine were free, the money would travel to Russia’s budget and used for its aggression in Ukraine.” If the vaccine were free, pro-Russian Ukrainian parties would undoubtedly use it to reinforce the narrative that the West cannot help Ukraine, that only Russia will save Ukraine, so Ukraine must return to the political orbit of Russia. ” 15 minutes said V. Rybakas.

According to V. Rybak, Russia with its plans to vaccinate the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics reinforces the idea of ​​a “Russian world” in which “Russia always protects its people”.

Former Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Health Pavlo Kovtoniuk assured that Kiev’s concern over the Sputnik V vaccine is not only a political issue, but also a national security issue.

“During the last decades, especially during the last seven years of the war, Ukraine has learned very well what hybrid weapons of war are,” he told The Washington Post.

Europe does not rule out access

Hungary in January became the first EU member to provisionally approve the Sputnik V vaccine.

Following the results of a study published in The Lancet, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Sputnik V vaccine could be vaccinated against EU residents if approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has asked EU regulators to test Russian and Chinese vaccines and, if they are safe and effective, approve them.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said the country is waiting for the EVA to approve all vaccines, including Sputnik V.

The EEA has yet to receive a request for authorization to distribute Sputnik V. The agency received a request for scientific advice from vaccine developers this week and a meeting was held to “discuss the development plan and further collaboration with the agency.” .

One of the most important criteria that the EMA assesses before granting a vaccine marketing authorization is the ability of pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce vaccines in the EU.

The European Commission has not yet announced plans for the collective purchase of doses of Sputnik V, based on agreements with other manufacturers.

EU members can purchase non-EEA approved vaccines on their own, which are not traded at the community level.