US stand on waiving virus vaccine patents is no ‘magic bullet’, says EU

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, left, speaks with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during an EU summit round table meeting at the Crystal Palace in Porto, Portugal (Francisco Seco/Pool/AP)

European Union leaders have cranked up their criticism of the US call to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents, arguing on Saturday that the move would bring no short or mid-term relief.

Instead, they urged Washington to lift export restrictions if it wants to have a global impact on the pandemic.