MOSCOW, Russia | Russian President Vladimir Putin will not go to Glasgow for COP26, the world climate conference, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday while assuring that the climate issue remained a “priority” for Russia.
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“Unfortunately, Putin will not go to Glasgow either,” said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, while the day before he had announced that the Russian leader would not attend the G20 in Italy.
“The issue (of climate change) which is on the agenda in Glasgow is nevertheless one of the biggest priorities of our foreign policy”, affirmed Mr. Peskov, adding that Russia would be represented at the COP26 without providing further details. .
Mr Putin announced in mid-October that Russia, one of the world’s biggest polluters, is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.
The daily Kommersant revealed in early October that the Russian government was preparing a new environmental strategy with stronger measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the plan, Moscow would aim to reduce its emissions by nearly 80% by 2050, including phasing out coal as a source of electricity in favor of more nuclear power, among others.
Environmental issues did not appear until late in official speeches in Russia, one of the main producers of hydrocarbons in the world.
Mr. Putin has long played down the role of humans in climate change, but he has recently shown himself to be more committed to the subject, in particular due to the increase in natural disasters (such as record fires) in his country.