Thread by @MarkGaleotti

This is pretty reprehensible, not just for humanitarian reasons, but also because it actually makes the whole 'Moscow's viral diplomacy' into a thing, without Moscow having to do anything. A short thread to vent and explain 1/

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1371418576096219143

Of course Moscow is going to capitalise on the prestige of having come up quickly with a highly effective vaccine - just as, for example, the UK is happy to be identified with the _Oxford_/AstraZeneca one. All countries take victory laps for their successes, and often rightly 2/

Likewise, of course it will extract what political capital it can from gifting its allies, wooing the wavering, and tempting members of what it regards as a hostile bloc, the West. Better a policy based on trying to push vaccines than one based on hoarding and denial, surely 3/

This is just geopolitics 101, nothing especially malign or unusual. BUT, here's the problem. Moscow obviously has a terrible reputation amongst many in the West, with good reason. And others find political or other gain in Russia-bashing 4/

I see no political or other danger in countries using Sputnik V, assuming it passes their regulatory checks. It doesn't bring long-term vulnerabilities like a Russian nuclear power station. Vaccinate someone with Sputnik this year and you can use s/t else next year if need be 5/

BUT, if use/rejection of Sputnik becomes some kind of political loyalty test, especially in the absence of ample and affordable supplies of comparably effective vaccines, and the 'OMG Russian vaccine soft power' crowd are handing the Kremlin a gift 6/

What could have been a simple, transactional, uncontroversial healthcare choice becomes one of 'death or Sputnik' in which the US and others are seriously encouraging others to choose the former. Moscow NEEDS DO NOTHING to look like the grown-up 7/

And if there aren't enough AZ/Pfizer/etc vaccines to go round, where will countries forced/encouraged to eschew Sputnik have to turn? China. The country that really has adopted a pretty aggressive 'vaccine diplomacy' campaign of its own 8/

So, double own goal. Nice one. 9/end