Putin says Russia, US have 'common interests' on climate change

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin told visiting US climate envoy John Kerry in a call that Moscow and Washington have "common interests" on climate change, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

"The climate problem is one of the areas where Russia and the United States have common interests and similar approaches," Putin said in a statement published by the Kremlin.

The Russian leader said Moscow "attaches great importance" to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and "advocates de-politicising" dialogue on climate change.

US, China commit to climate cooperation

The comments on a rare point of cooperation between the two countries come after Putin met US President Joe Biden for historic talks in Geneva last month.

Kerry, Biden's globe-trotting climate envoy, called on Russia to cooperate with the US on climate change during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week.

Moscow has said Kerry's visit to Moscow is a positive step for relations between the two countries.

Russia, one of the world's major producers of oil and gas, has in recent years made commitments and statements suggesting it is taking climate change seriously.

But critics say the country, which is also the fourth-highest emitter of carbon, is still doing far from enough to tackle the crisis.