Saudi King Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed the possible joint production of a Russian coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said.

In early August, Russia said it had developed the world's first vaccine against the virus and claimed that more than a billion doses had been pre-ordered by 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Putin and Salman discussed “collective efforts aimed at overcoming the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic”, a Kremlin statement said, while noting the call had come at the Saudi king's initiative.

“Particular attention was paid to the perspective of joint production of a vaccine that was developed by Russia,” the statement added.