"I see something that brings hope, but I think there clearly is a certain element of politeness toward Russia, [in suggesting] that [Sputnik V may get approved] very soon now, in the first three months, in the first six months," the diplomat said.
Russia's vaccine against the coronavirus is approved in 71 countries, whose total population is about 4 billion people.
Analysis of the latest data of 3.8 million vaccinated Russian showed the vaccine was 97.6% effective, which is higher than the 91.6% rate that had been published by The Lancet, the developer, Gamaleya research center, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund have said.