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Coronavirus pandemic

Kremlin says Putin raised Sputnik V in talk with French businessmen to note EU stalling

The Russian president urged the French business community to help change the biased attitude of European regulators towards the vaccine

© Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, April 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin did mention the situation around the registration of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in the European Union at a meeting with the French business community on Thursday, but this was done to illustrate that European authorities are dragging their feet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

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Putin discusses attitude to Sputnik V with French entrepreneurs

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the French business community to help change the biased attitude of European regulators towards the Sputnik V vaccine, General Director of the French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pavel Shinsky told TASS on Thursday.

"Obviously, none of these companies participating [in the meeting] can have a direct influence on the European regulator," Peskov said, responding to the question on whether this topic had been actually raised at the meeting.

"Therefore, there was definitely no such direct request. However, the president indeed mentioned this situation to illustrate that there is foot-dragging on the time period for approval," he noted.

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Kiev may use ATACMS missiles to hit Crimean Bridge — Russian defense ministry official

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