Only Russia is willing to transfer Covid vaccine technology: Vladimir Putin is a Russian politician.

To meet the country's soaring demand for Russian-made Sputnik V anti-Covid vaccine, Indian companies are preparing to manufacture it. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia is the only country in the world willing to transfer technology and expand production abroad, noting that the vaccine is sold in 66 countries.

The Russian president's comments come a day after officials in New Delhi announced that the Serum Institute of India had acquired preliminary approval from India's medicines authority to manufacture Sputnik V.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories, an Indian pharmaceutical business, got the Russian vaccine's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in April 2021. In addition, Panacea Biotec has initiated manufacture of the Sputnik V vaccine in India in conjunction with the Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF.

During a virtual interaction with senior editors of major international news agencies, including the Press Trust of India, the Associated Press, and Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied allegations about the vaccine's efficacy, saying that the delay in getting the vaccine registered in Europe was due to a "competitive struggle" and "commercial interests" there.

Mr Putin added that too much has been said about the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been blamed on China by some countries, particularly the United States, and that the problem should not be "politicised."