Russia rejects Biden’s criticism for skipping UN climate conference

Moscow (dpa), 3 Nov, 2021 - The Kremlin has rejected criticism from US President Joe Biden after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to attend a key UN summit on curbing climate change.

Climate action is not tied to events, Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, as reported by the Interfax news agency.

He insisted that Russia is aware of its responsibilities and that the country is acting thoughtfully and consistently on this issue. “Our energy balance is a lot greener than that of many other states,” he was quoted as saying.

Rather than attending in person, Putin sent a video message to the summit in which he promised to do more to preserve forests. His assurances come in the wake of severe wildfires in Russia.

The 69-year-old leader cited the pandemic as a reason for not attending.

Biden described the absence of Russia and China’s heads of state at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow as “a mistake.”