Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine will not be buying Sputnik V, a Russian-produced vaccine for COVID-19, stating that "Ukrainians are no rabbits" and so the government has no right to stage experiments on them.
He made the comment at the All-Ukrainian Forum, titled "Ukraine 30. Coronavirus: Challenges and Responses," as reported by an UNIAN correspondent on February 8.
"There is no official information from WHO and leading European and world experts that the Russian-made Sputnik V is a solid vaccine with the efficacy at 90%-91%," he said.
"I believe that Ukrainian citizens are human beings and, I beg your pardon for such a comparison, they're definitely no rabbits. We have no right to stage experiments on them. Therefore, we have agreed only with those leading vaccine manufacturers that are globally approved, whose products are already yielding really serious positive results worldwide," he added.
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine
In August 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was the first in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. Putin also claimed that one of his daughters had been vaccinated with the vaccine.
Read alsoZelensky says vaccinated citizens to enjoy restrictions liftMoscow has not provided the international scientific community with any data on vaccine trials confirming that it is safe and effective against COVID-19. Phase 3 clinical trials of the vaccine had not been conducted prior to registration. Yet, the Russian side claims the effectiveness of the vaccine is 92%.
Earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine did not buy the Russian-made vaccine against COVID-19 as no one could guarantee the quality of that vaccine.
