PM Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ongoing pandemic situation. Both the world leaders discussed the conditions of their respective countries.
The Conversation Between PM Modi and Vladimir Putin
PM Modi on Wednesday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his constant support to India. In a conversation between the two on Wednesday, the conditions of both countries were discussed. Modi thanked Putin for helping India in such tough times. India is going through a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time the virus is much deadlier and causing more havoc.
Vladimir Putin has assured PM Modi that Russia will provide India with emergency aid. A series of tweets followed their telephonic conversation. PM Modi tweeted that he had an excellent conversation with the Russian President. They discussed the evoking COVID-19 situation and measures to tackle it. Besides that, they also discussed their cooperation on the Sputnik-V vaccine. India has recently approved Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine for emergency use in the country.
Other Discussed Factors
The two leaders not only discussed the pandemic but also addressed other factors. PM Modi informed via his tweet that both the leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation. Space exploration was another topic that PM Modi and Putin discussed. They talked about upcoming space missions and human trips to the moon and Mars. Moreover, they also discussed the renewable energy sector, including the hydrogen economy. PM Modi also mentioned that the two leaders have decided to add momentum to their strong strategic partnership. Putin and Modi have approved to begin a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between their foreign and defense ministers.
Sputnik-V Approved for Emergency Use in India
Recently, Russia’s Covid vaccine Sputnik-V has been approved for emergency use in India. It will be the third vaccine in India against COVID-19. So far, India has COVAXIN and Covishield. Both are India-manufactured COVID-19 vaccines. However, Sputnik-V will be the first vaccine that India is importing. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) will export the first batch of Sputnik-V vaccines to India from May 1.
India has opened its vaccination drive for everyone above 18 years of age from May 1. Registration for the same has already begun. All those who are eligible should register themselves for the vaccination as soon as possible. The government has created an online portal called, “CoWIN”.Via CoWIN, vaccine registrations could be done. Besides CoWIN, citizens can also register via the Arogya Setu app.
