Russian President Vladimir Putin told United States climate envoy John Kerry that Moscow and Washington have a shared interest in battling climate change, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday, in a rare area of common ground between the rivals.
“The climate problem is one of the areas where Russia and the United States have common interests and similar approaches,” Mr. Putin said in a phone call with Mr. Kerry who is visiting Moscow, it said.
The former Secretary of state is in Russia this week to discuss climate change with officials and has called on the country to cooperate with the U.S. on the issue.
Mr. Putin said Moscow “attaches great importance” to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and “advocates de-politicising” dialogue on climate change.
The comments on a rare point of cooperation between the two countries come after Mr. Putin met U.S. President Joe Biden for talks in Geneva last month. Moscow has welcomed Mr. Kerry’s visit.