EU’s surplus COVID-19 vaccine supply to Ukraine suspended

"Since last year, we have had negotiations and agreements with some EU countries that they will share the vaccine with Ukraine. Specific agreements have been reached. But the schedule of vaccine supply to these European countries was actually disrupted and, respectively, the timeline when these countries can share surplus vaccines with us has been delayed," Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said during a joint press conference with Foreign Minister of Slovenia Anže Logar, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

However, this is just one of the potential vaccine supply channels, Kuleba stressed.

According to the minister, Ukraine focuses on contracts with immediate vaccine manufacturers.

In turn, the Slovenian Foreign Minister stressed that the world saw a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines and a growing demand for them. According to him, it is necessary to build up capacities to produce a sufficient volume of vaccines.

It is now very important to ensure a fair distribution of vaccines among all countries, Logar noted and recalled that the COVAX Facility was very helpful in this context.

"And it is in this sense that we need to be very careful about the so-called 'vaccine diplomacy' which can destroy bilateral relations between the countries," the Foreign Minister of Slovenia added.

As reported, Ukraine should receive 8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine within the framework of the global COVAX Facility. Delivery of the first batch of Pfizer vaccine in the amount of 117 thousand doses was expected in mid-February.

ol