Russia Says No Immediate Plans To Recognise Foreign Jabs

Coronavirus: Russia -- whose Sputnik V vaccine is not recognised by the EU -- is not currently discussing the "mutual recognition" of vaccines with Brussels, Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said Thursday that Moscow had no immediate plans to allow foreign coronavirus vaccines into Russia, despite the country's sluggish vaccination rates and rising death count in a third wave of the pandemic. Russia -- whose Sputnik V vaccine is not recognised by the EU -- is not currently discussing the "mutual recognition" of vaccines with Brussels, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Health officials on Thursday recorded 791 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours. The Kremlin has struggled to counter widespread anti-vaccine sentiment, with only 20 percent of Russians having received at least one jab. Asked if allowing Western vaccines would push hesitant Russians to vaccinate themselves by offering them a choice, Peskov said the country had enough home-grown vaccines.