France, Germany, Russia discuss Covid vaccine cooperation

The leaders of France, Germany and Russia discussed the use of the Russian-developed Covid-19 vaccine in the European Union on Tuesday, according to official statements on a conference call that also touched upon issues of global concern including conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and the situation of Moscow critic Alexei Navalny.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany, 8 July 2017. The three leaders discussed Covid vaccine cooperation an various global conflicts during a conference call on Tuesday evening. REUTERS/Tobias SCHWARZ, Pool

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed vaccine cooperation and other issues of global concern in a videoconference call on Tuesday evening, Macron’s office said.

A statement from the French presidency said the three leaders talked about prospects for the deployment of the Russia-designed Sputnik V vaccine in the European Union, where it is currently under review of medicines regulators.

The EU’s European Medicines Agency started this month to review Sputnik V, which Russia has been marketing the vaccine abroad despite a slow rollout at home.

France and Germany both said the three leaders discussed possibilities for cooperation in the vaccine sector and assured the EMA would review Sputnik V according to the same standards applied to other vaccines.

Commitments to Ukraine deal

Macron, Merkel and Putin also discusses the health and rights of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, namely as pertaining to the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Moscow is a member.

Macron’s office also emphasised the need for Russia to act resolutely in securing a routinely violated ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists have been fighting with pro-government forces since shortly after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.

France insisted on maintaining the 2015 French- and German-brokered Minsk accords as a resolution to the conflict. Moscow said Putin insisted that Ukraine honour its obligations under the accords to provide special status to the eastern regions.

The leaders also discussed the humanitarian situation in Syria and commitment to dialogue in terms of Iran’s nuclear programme, according to the statement from the Elysée.

(with newswires)