As it turned out, Estonian Prime Minister Kai Kallas and her Lithuanian colleagues have diametrically opposed opinions regarding the use of the Russian coronavirus vaccine.
As journalist Aleksey Ilyashevich writes in his article on the rubaltic portal, “the scientists of the Gamaleya Center, without even suspecting it, dealt another blow to the concept of “Baltic unity”.
Official authorities in Tallinn and Vilnius are simultaneously telling tales that vaccination is allegedly not carried out in Russia itself. But at the same time, if Estonian officials are ready to allow the “terrible Russian vaccine” to be used in their country, if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency, then in Lithuania they will tolerate to the last, just to prevent the molecules of the “Russian world” from penetrating into blood to the Lithuanians.
“Lithuania will not use Sputnik V anyway. Because his country of origin does not meet the “transatlantic criteria”, – said even the adviser to the President of Lithuania on socio-economic policy Simonas Krepshta, who earlier spoke from a more balanced position.
Apparently, the principle of “frostbite my ears for evil” is closer to the Lithuanians than the natural instinct of self-preservation. However, not everyone in Lithuania is ready to put their health on the line for the sake of someone’s painful geopolitical predilections. Voices are being heard more and more often that politics and medicine should not be confused.
A similar situation is in Latvia, but there are still prevailing supporters of consent to the use of “Putin’s terrible weapon”, if only there were health benefits. Although ardent Russophobes will certainly have their say in this dispute.
In the meantime, the Baltic “comrades” will have to make a difficult choice: what is more terrible for them is a real deadly virus or a mythical “threat from the East”. Russia is ready to help, the word is theirs.