Russian President Vladimir Putin set to snub COP26 climate summit

The Kremlin revealed on
Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be flying to Glasgow
for the COP26 climate summit. This is a major
setback for hosts Britain who hoped to get the biggest world leaders on board
to sign a significant climate deal.

Also Read – COP26: World leaders who will attend the climate summit

Dmitry Peskov, The Kremlin’s press
secretary told reporters that he will not be flying to Glasgow either but other
representatives from Russia will be in attendance for the United Nations Climate
Change Conference of the Parties.

Peskov said, “We
need to work out in what format it will be possible to speak via video
conference, at what moment,”

“The issues that will be
discussed in Glasgow right now form one of the priorities of our foreign policy,”
he added.

The news come after The Kremlin announced
that the Russian President will not be attending the G20 summit in Rome in person.
Instead choosing to become a participant via a video link due to concerns about
the coronavirus pandemic. However, he is not the only world leader who will not
be present at the event.

Also Read – COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important?

Vladimir Putin had to
self-isolate for a brief period last month when a number of people in his
entourage got diagnosed with the coronavirus. Last week the President was seen
coughing repeatedly while attending a government meeting, however Putin said
that he had caught a cold and dismissed any health concerns.

Britain is hosting the
26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, widely known as COP26
in Glasgow. The event will commence on October 31 and conclude on November 12
with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expecting a good attendance.

Britain is hoping to get
support from major powers as it looks for a more radical approach to overcome the
problem of climate change.

Also Read – Fossil fuel production to rise in the coming decade: UN report

Around 120 World
Leaders are expected to attend the conference however, several big names other
than Putin will not be attending. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected
to attend, the same goes for Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro while Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is yet to confirm.