Recently, the German government revealed that US President Donald Trump offered $1 billion to exclusively purchase rights to a coronavirus vaccine.
Reportedly, Trump sought to acquire exclusive rights to German biotech firm Curevac’s research on a coronavirus vaccine.
The details of Trump’s actions were disclosed by German magazine Welt am Sonntag, featuring the headline ‘Trump vs Berlin.’
Quoting an anonymous German government official, Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday that the Trump administration proposed a $1 billion deal to secure exclusive rights to a potential COVID-19 vaccine from CureVac.
The German official stated that Trump wanted the vaccine “exclusively for the USA.” The New York Times later confirmed that the Trump administration made efforts to persuade CureVac to relocate its research to the US, offering the company a significant sum of money, as described by a German official.
In response to the revelations, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier declared, “Germany is not for sale,” while White House officials downplayed the reports.
“International cooperation is important now, not national self-interest,” remarked conservative lawmaker Erwin Rueddel, a member of the German parliament’s health committee.
Reacting to the reports on Monday, Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer stated, “I have heard several times today from government officials that this is the case, and we will be discussing it in the crisis committee tomorrow.”
Economy Minister Peter Altmaier added, “Germany is not for sale.”
On the other hand, the US government has dismissed the reports, claiming that the discussions with various companies regarding potential coronavirus vaccines, including those that have received funding from US investors, have been exaggerated.
“We will continue to talk to any company that claims to be able to help. And any solution found would be shared with the world,” a US official stated in response to the reports on Monday.