Russian Attempts to Expand Sputnik Vaccine Set Off Discord in Europe
Political turmoil in Slovakia is an example of how Russia’s vaccine diplomacy, which has divided politicians across Europe, can have negative side effects for a recipient country.
The old town of Bratislava, Slovakia. A decision by Slovakia’s prime minister to import Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine caused such an uproar in his country that he had to step down.Credit.Akos Stiller for The New York Times
May 2, 2021Updated 1:08 p.m. ET
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia When Slovakia’s prime minister welcomed a military aircraft carrying 200,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia in March, he posed proudly for photographs on the tarmac in front of crates stuffed with what he expected to be his country’s medical salvation.
Russiaâs Sputnik V vaccine: just what the doctor ordered to divide Europe
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Bratislava, Slovakia: When Slovakiaâs Prime Minister welcomed a military aircraft carrying 200,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia in March, he posed proudly for photographs on the tarmac in front of crates stuffed with what he expected to be his countryâs medical salvation.
Slovakia at the time had the worldâs highest per capita death rate from COVID-19, and the arrival of the Russian vaccine offered a rare glimmer of hope. For Russia it offered big benefits, too: a small but symbolically important new market for its product in the European Union, which has so far declined to register the vaccine and urged member states to hold off on orders until approval is granted.
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine: just what the doctor ordered to divide Europe theage.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theage.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Three Slovak diplomats will have to leave Moscow by May 5.
The decision comes as a response to the same step made by Slovakia on April 22, when the country’s representatives decided to expel three Russian diplomats in reaction to the suspicions that the Russian intelligence services were involved in the 2014 explosion in Vrbětice, the Czech Republic.
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok (SaS nominee) sees the step as a reciprocal reaction to the earlier actions of Slovakia.
“Of course, it will impact the work of our embassy as we will miss the three people who need to leave the Russian Federation, but I believe we will manage the situation,” Korčok said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
04/15/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/15/2021 14:22
The Slovak Republic Has Supported the Joint Decision of the Allies to Terminate the NATO Operation in Afghanistan
The State Secretary of the Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, Martin Klus, together with the Minister of the Defense of the Slovak Republic, Jaroslav NaÄ, attended the extraordinary session of the North Atlantic Council with the ministers of foreign affairs and the ministers of defense of the NATO member countries via a video conference on 14 April 2021.
The main topic of the session was the operation of the allied military forces in Afghanistan, where the NATO training mission is currently active, and in which also members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic are participating. At the meeting, the allies agreed to launch the process of the termination of this mission and withdraw the forces from Afghanistan. They also agreed that the international community is not abandoning Afg