US Ambassador to South Korea Refuses Recommendation to Receive Russian-Developed COVID-19 Vaccine

A resident of Moscow, the capital of Russia, is receiving a COVID-19 vaccine from a medical worker on the 8th of this month (local time). Russia began vaccinating the general public with its domestically developed 'Sputnik V' vaccine starting from Moscow on the 5th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] The U.S. ambassador to Russia refused to receive the Russian-developed COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V'.

The U.S. Embassy in Russia announced on the 27th (local time) that Ambassador John Sullivan politely declined the offer from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a post on the embassy's Twitter account that day, the embassy spokesperson stated, "Ambassador Sullivan expressed his gratitude for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' offer regarding the vaccine, but he does not wish to choose the Sputnik V vaccine intended for Russians."

He added, "We are pleased that two American vaccines have already been approved and are helping in the fight against COVID-19 in the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Latin America, and the United States." This implied that the ambassador plans to receive vaccines developed by the American companies Pfizer and Moderna instead of the Russian vaccine.

The embassy also urged Russia to release Americans detained in Russia, saying, "If the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs listens to our Christmas wishes, the best gift for us would be the immediate release of Americans Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, who are being held illegally." Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, is imprisoned on espionage charges, while Reed, also a former U.S. Marine, is detained on charges of threatening local police officers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.