Thread by @euronews

For many countries in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, buying COVID vaccines has thrown up similar issues to those that existed during the Cold War.

We spoke to @AllyCarragher and @joannahosa to shed light on the region. #HealthcareWeek.

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Russia registered a jab way back in August 2020, but many scientists questioned whether it was being rushed out too quickly.

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But when some saw that the Russians and Chinese vaccines were easier to obtain, they started to change their minds.

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No matter how dire the need for vaccines, some former Soviet states haven't been able to look past feuds with Moscow, least surprisingly Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, Belarus has welcomed Sputnik V vaccines with open arms.

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The Serbian government says securing jabs wasn't a political matter. But when it comes to nations donating doses to those in need, @AllyCarragher says it 'has to be' political.

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.@AllyCarragher says the Western Balkans region has been repeatedly sidelined in its EU path and the pandemic only exacerbated "the feeling that they have been forgotten".

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The choice of who to buy vaccines from isn't the only decision that could affect countries in the long term, @AllyCarragher adds.

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As the EU has struggled to make available European-manufactured vaccines, Russia already sent its Sputnik V to Hungary and Slovakia and offered to supply 50 million more doses to Europe.

euronews.com/2021/03/17/spu…

Every weekday at 1900 CEST, #UncoveringEurope brings you a European story that goes beyond the headlines. Read more about vaccine diplomacy👇
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