Guatemala demands Russia to return money for Sputnik V vaccine due to delivery delays

Guatemalan Health Minister Amelia Flores said the government has asked Russia to return the advance it paid for supplies of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine because the drug had not arrived in the country.

“We are asking for the money to be returned as proposed. And if they later have the opportunity to sell it, we will pay upon delivery,” the minister said, as quoted by Republica.gt.

We are talking about 614.5 million Guatemalan quetzals (about six billion rubles), which Guatemala paid for the purchase of 16 million doses of the vaccine.

The first shipments of Sputnik arrived in Guatemala in May. In total, 150 thousand doses of the vaccine have arrived in the country.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is involved in the export of Russian vaccines, has not yet commented on this.