UK to deliver 9 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to vulnerable countries
July 29, 2021, 2:02 am

UK to deliver 9 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to vulnerable countries

UK sends nine million vaccines to vulnerable countries

According to the BBC, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said that the UK will begin delivering nine million doses of coronavirus vaccine to "the most vulnerable countries" this week.

This batch makes up the first part of a pledge by the government to donate 100 million surplus jabs before the middle of 2022.

The BBC noted Kenya, Jamaica and Indonesia are among the countries receiving the vaccines.

It added that Mr Raab said the donations were in the UK's "moral" and "direct interest".

Speaking on a visit to an AstraZeneca production site in Oxford, Mr Raab said: "We won't be safe in the UK until everyone is safe in the world."

Last month, during a summit in Cornwall, the G7 group of leading industrial nations pledged to donate one billion coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer countries, with US President Joe Biden announcing that his country would provide 500 million doses.

The majority of the vaccines will be delivered through the Covax programme, which aims to provide vaccines for at least 20% of the population in 92 low or medium-income countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that "to truly end the pandemic" 70% of the global population needs to be vaccinated, which would require 11 billion doses.

Source: BBC
Image source: EPA-BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.