Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis gave a joint press briefing in Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium, on February 10.

Denys Shmyhal expressed gratitude to the European Union for the assistance our country had received to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Head of Government also noted the importance of further joint work on increasing Ukraine's access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The Prime Minister stressed that Ukraine would start immunization this month, and the total number of contracted vaccines is already over 12 million doses.

"The fight against the coronavirus pandemic remains a crucial factor in our joint work. We are grateful to the EU for the support and assistance provided to our healthcare system and our physicians. More and more European partners are talking about the importance of Ukraine also having access to early vaccine supplies, as this will better help curb the pandemic across the continent. And this is also a rather critical priority for our work with European colleagues," stressed Denys Shmyhal.

In turn, Valdis Dombrovskis noted that the EU supports Ukraine on its European integration path, and therefore EUR 190 million had been allocated to pandemic fight programs in Ukraine. This funding is aimed at strengthening the medical system and protecting Ukrainian doctors.

"The Commission is assisting Poland in reselling 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Ukraine. The EU purchase agreements will allow reselling at no profit. The Commission is helping with the contractual arrangements and with transport and delivery. For us, it is important that Ukraine is provided with high quality and tested vaccines," noted the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission.