Germany accuses US President Donald Trump of trying to buy a company working on coronavirus vaccine

German ministers have expressed anger over reports that a German medical company was offered “large sums of money” by US President Donald Trump for exclusive rights to a vaccine for coronavirus.

“Germany is not for sale,” Guardian quoted economy minister Peter Altmaier as saying. A German newspaper reported that USD 1 billion was offered by President Trump to Tubingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac to secure the vaccine “only for the United States”.

It is learnt that German government has also offered financial incentives to the company to ensure that the vaccine stays in the country. “International co-operation is important now, not national self-interest,” said Erwin Rueddel, a conservative lawmaker on the German parliament’s health committee.

Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal FDP party, slammed President Trump and accused him of electioneering. “Obviously Trump will use any means available in an election campaign,” Lindner was quoted as saying by Guardian.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that Berlin will never allow the US to take control of CureVac and the company would only develop vaccine “for the whole world”, and "not for individual countries”.

The total number of coronavirus cases have jumped to more than more than 86,000 across the world and the number of cases in China, which is the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak, is currently at 80,860. Deaths outside China have jumped to over 3,241, while deaths in China is at 3,208.

Addressing a press conference, Germany Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said, "I can only say that I have heard several times today from government officials today that this is the case, and we will be discussing it in the crisis committee tomorrow."