European Officials See Politics at Play in Sputnik Balkan Delay

(Bloomberg) -- European officials believe Russia delayed deliveries of the Sputnik V vaccine to North Macedonia for geopolitical reasons.

The reason why, according to two officials familiar with the matter, is that North Macedonia was one of three western Balkan countries to sign up to a declaration in January and to human rights sanctions in late March over opposition politician Alexey Navalny’s arrest. The Russian vaccine producer denied the allegations.

The official reason provided by Russia to North Macedonia is that postponements were caused by production and demand issues, an official from North Macedonia’s government said. A senior EU diplomat said the move was directly linked to support for the Navalny-related measures. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

Russia has touted its Sputnik V vaccine as a quality alternative to western-produced versions that have drawn criticism that richer countries are engaging in vaccine nationalism, creating a world of haves and have-nots regarding immunity. European governments have accused Moscow of engaging in “vaccine diplomacy” and using its shots as a geo-political propaganda tool, which Russia has repeatedly denied.

Russian Denial

The Russian Direct Investment Fund said on Tuesday that it was executing Sputnik V supplies to North Macedonia in line with the agreed contract.

“There is no politics when it comes to vaccine cooperation,” the fund said in an emailed statement. “Suggestions that politics plays a role in Sputnik V supplies are completely wrong and go against RDIF’s long-held belief that this pandemic can only be defeated through global partnership.”

Reuters reported earlier that North Macedonia received the first batch of 3,000 Sputnik vaccines, out of a total 200,000 ordered. North Macedonia’s government also declined to immediately comment.

Still, production issues have recently been linked to delays in the delivery of Sputnik elsewhere, including in Mexico. RDIF denied problems with manufacturing, saying it is ramping up output.

The EU is funding the delivery of 651,000 vaccine doses to the Western Balkans between May and August to complement supplies distributed through the international COVAX program.

The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday after meeting North Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, that the bloc had just delivered his government shots with no conditionality.

“It is very important that you very courageously -- and sometimes paying a price -- you have been aligning with our Common Foreign and Security Policy,” Borrell said. “We just delivered the first batch of a total of 120,000 fully EU-financed vaccines for North Macedonia. And this comes without a string attached.”

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