Should the EU purchase Sputnik V?
The German government has proposed the launch of preliminary negotiations for the EU to purchase the Russian coronavirus vaccine. Although Sputnik V has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency (Ema), with the other vaccines talks were held before the approval came through. Commentators support the initiative and call on politicians to set ideological differences aside.
Plenty of arguments in favour of the jab
Handelsblatt supports the move:
“Firstly, the purchase of Sputnik V would defuse the tensions between the EU and Russia. Moscow and its political allies in Europe - from the AfD and The Left in the German Bundestag to Marine Le Pen in France or Viktor Orbán in Hungary - could no longer claim that the EU is hostile to Russia. Secondly, perhaps many people who in opposing the sanitary measures have been infected with the Putin virus and trust the Kremlin boss more than they trust European politicians might consent to being vaccinated with Sputnik V. ... Since Soviet times we have known that Russia is scientifically capable of great medical achievements: the GDR was able to eradicate polio before West Germany using Soviet vaccines. And thirdly, in the fight against a pandemic we should use whatever weapons are available.”
Trapped in the New Cold War mentality
For Duma, it's telling that the EU has only recently turned its attention to the Russian vaccine:
“The Sputnik V affair has long since escaped the boundaries of rational behavior, as it is subject to the logic of the New Cold War. This logic dictates that Russia must be fought on all possible fronts. Anyone who accepts the enemy's aid, medicines, technologies or ideas has lost. ... The EU's fear of losing face if it has to resort to vaccines from so-called hostile countries in the current situation is understandable. But human life must not be held hostage to such narrow-mindedness. ”