Argentina Considers Failure to Approve Sputnik V Vaccine a Mistake

Argentina's President Alberto Fernández has deemed the failure of several European countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) to approve the Russian Sputnik V vaccine as a mistake. He stated, "I believe that this (the non-approval of the Sputnik V vaccine) is a European error, driven by geopolitical considerations, as we have a body that oversees and approves medicines and vaccines, which is among the highest quality in the world... I know that this body, being very demanding, has approved the vaccine, so I have no explanation as to why it is taking so long in Europe," the president said in an interview with RT, as reported by RIA Novosti.

He emphasized that he has discussed the effectiveness of the Russian vaccine with European leaders and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Earlier, a representative of Argentina's presidential administration informed RIA Novosti that Fernández expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 3. Since March 4, 2021, Sputnik V has been undergoing a gradual examination process at the European Medicines Agency, which approves medicines for centralized use in the European Union.