President Alberto Fernández spoke on Monday today with Vladimir Putin, with the Russian leader expressing that he was "committed" to "continue advancing in the supply” of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Argentina.
The two leaders spoke at around noon on Monday, with Argentina's leader speaking to his Russian counterpart from the Olivios presidential residence. The main purpose of the call, according to the readout from both sides, was for Putin to check on Fernández’s health.
The Argentine leader confirmed over the weekend that he had been infected with Covid-19, though he stressed that he was “fine” in a series of tweets. The Peronist leader was vaccinated with two shots of Sputnik V, produced by the Russian laboratory Gamaleya, earlier this year, receiving the latter jab on February 11.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, Putin congratulated Fernández on his recent birthday, before wishing him “a speedy and complete recovery."
The Argentine president, who celebrated his 62nd birthday on Friday, in turn "thanked him for these words and mentioned the confidence he maintains in the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, thanks to which he only contracted a mild form of the disease," continued the statement, which added that the "close cooperation" between Russia and Argentina in the fight against the novel coronavirus would continue.
Fernández, who is in isolation as a precautionary measure, announced Friday that he had tested positive for coronavirus in a rapid antigen test. His medical team announced on Saturday that a PCR test confirmed the result.
Communicating via Twitter, Fernández said in a post on Twitter that he was thankful for the Russian leader’s thoughts, adding that Putin had expressed his “commitment to continue advancing in the supply of Sputnik V for our beloved Argentina.”
According to government sources, he also asked Putin to guarantee regular shipments of Sputnik V for Argentina, given that his government has placed orders for more doses than manufacturers have been able to supply.
Putin reportedly promised that the supply of vaccines will remain as agreed and expressed hopes that the relationship between the two nations would deepen.
Argentina is facing a potential second wave of Covid-19. According to official figures, there have been more than 56,000 deaths and some 2.4 million infections since the start of the pandemic.
– TIMES/NA/AFP
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