With key UN COP26 climate change conference to start next week, Russia has announced that President Vladimir Putin will not travel to the event in the UK, British public broadcaster BBC reports.
The UN COP26 conference is due to take place Glasgow, Scotland, 31 October to 12 November.
On Wednesday, October 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that climate change was «one of our foreign policy’s most important priorities.» However, Pesko said: «Unfortunately, Putin will not fly to Glasgow». The Russian President himself announced on October 13 in Moscow: «I am not sure yet if I will attend [COP26] in person, but I will certainly take part in it».
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COP26 is the biggest climate change conference since landmark talks in Paris in 2015. Around 200 countries are being asked to submit their plans to cut emissions by 2030. Observers will be watching how Russia and other major fossil fuel exporters will be willing to reduce their reliance on these energy resources.