President Vladimir Putin won't attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow
October 20, 2021, 11:27 am

President Vladimir Putin won't attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

Putin-Shutterstock-Russia

The BBC reported according to the Kremlin's statement on Wednesday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin will not attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

It said that no reason was given for the decision not to attend, but a Kremlin spokesperson said climate change was an "important" priority for Russia.

It mentioned that COP26 takes place in Scotland's largest city from 31 October to 12 November.

According to the BBC, Russia's decision is seen as a blow to efforts to get leaders to negotiate a new deal to stall rising global temperatures.

"Unfortunately, Putin will not fly to Glasgow," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that climate change was "one of our foreign policy's most important priorities."

Mr Putin has not commented on the official announcement, but speaking at an international energy forum in Moscow on 13 October, the Russian leader cited the coronavirus pandemic as a factor in his decision to travel.

He added: "I am not sure yet if I will attend in person, but I will certainly take part in it."

The BBC added that Chinese President Xi Jinping is also unlikely to attend, though Chinese officials have reportedly not entirely ruled out a change of plans.

Earlier in October, Australian Prime Minister attracted widespread criticism for suggesting he might skip the summit, but he later announced that he would indeed attend.

It should be noted that COP26 is the biggest climate change conference since landmark talks in Paris in 2015. Some 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030.

Many observers will be watching how Russia and other major fossil fuel producers will be willing to reduce their reliance on them.

Source: BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.