German Chancellor Angela Merkel is „open” to the idea of ​​producing a Russian coronavirus vaccine in the European Union, according to a spokesperson for her office.

Germany has so far carried out the largest number of vaccinations among 27 European countries since the vaccination began in late December. However, there are widespread discrepancies within the bloc, as, for example, the Netherlands only began vaccination on Wednesday.

The European Union has come under fire for the slow introduction of Covid-19 vaccines compared to other parts of the world, with the United States, China and Israel leading the way in terms of the number of doses taken.

Merkel He discussed with Russian President Vladimir the response to the Covid-19 pandemic Put it in Tuesday. On Wednesday, Ulrike Demer, a deputy spokesperson for the German government, said that she was „open to the idea of ​​bilateral cooperation in order to benefit from European production capacities (for the Russian vaccine).” .

A spokesman for the German government based in Brussels confirmed the same statement to CNBC.

Germany has made clear that this will only happen if the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives its approval for the Sputnik V vaccine.

Regulators in Europe approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last month and Moderna’s punch on Wednesday. However, the EMA has yet to receive a formal request for the Russian Covid vaccine evaluation for administration across the European Union.

The Russian Aesthetic Institute, the developers of the Sputnik V vaccine, said Tuesday that more than a million people have received the vaccine, the Financial Times reported.