Rody-Putin talk comes with Sputnik
Authorities are expecting the vaccine to be delivered from May until August
President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over the phone late Tuesday, but the Palace did not release topics of their conversation that came
ahead of the forthcoming delivery of 20,000 doses of Russia’s “Sputnik V” vaccines.
In a text message, Duterte’s former top aide Senator Christopher “Bong” Go confirmed the call took place while the President was in Malacañang. Go did not respond to queries if the conversation of the two leaders focused on Covid-19 vaccines which the Philippines needs badly.
At a Palace briefing, presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque also confirmed the phone call but he did not elaborate. He said the President’s activities are classified as “secret”.
“I am confirming that our President had a telephone conversation with the President of Russia. That’s all I can say,” Roque said.
The announcement follows reports on the forthcoming delivery of 20,000 doses of Russia’s anti-coronavirus vaccine dubbed “Sputnik V”, which Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tagged as a product of Duterte and Putin’s “pure friendship”.
Russia’s Sputnik V was the fourth vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use.
“No, Russia doesn’t need us. At all. It’s pure friendship between Digong and Putin, like Digong with Xi,” Locsin wrote in a tweet, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In an interview with a Russian television network, Locsin also thanked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for facilitating his request for vaccines “within minutes of (their) call”.
“I just came out in Russian media and thanked Russia for its generous response to my cry for help. ‘Spasibo (God save you), Minister Lavrov.’ The unrivaled master of diplomacy,” he wrote in a separate tweet.
“I always had faith in Russian science remembering my dad pointing up, ‘There, Sputnik,’ blinking in the night sky,” Locsin added.
The Philippine government is finalizing its discussion with Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute which covers 20 million doses of Sputnik V, said vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Authorities are expecting the vaccine to be delivered from May until August, the official added.
Russia’s Sputnik V was the fourth vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use.
The authorization cleared Sputnik V for use on individuals aged 18 years and older. It demonstrated nearly 92 percent efficacy against symptomatic cases of Covid-19, based on peer-reviewed analysis of its trial data.
Last December, President Duterte invited Putin to visit the Philippines should “circumstances allow” it as part of the 45th anniversary of Manila-Moscow diplomatic ties.
Duterte extended the invitation through Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Ignatyevich Pavlov who was in Malacañang then to present his credentials.
“It will be an opportunity to celebrate and reaffirm the enduring friendship and cooperation between our countries,” Duterte said.
If Putin pushes through with the visit, it will be his first official trip to Manila. Duterte visited Russia twice — in 2017 and 2019.
The Philippines on 2 June 1976 forged formal diplomatic ties with Russia, then known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.