Today, Sunday, the head of the Russian delegation expressed regret over the war in Ukraine during a meeting at which the new UN climate report was officially approved.
Three sources who themselves attended the meeting of the United Nations Climate Committee (IPCC), which took place in the form of a video conference, tell AFP.
“Let me apologize on behalf of all the Russians who failed to avoid this conflict,” said Oleg Anisimov, according to the sources.
He is said to have added that the attack on Ukraine could not be justified.
The meeting was attended by almost 200 countries and a large number of researchers, and many were surprised by Anisimov’s statement. One source noted that he personally took the risk of criticizing the war in Ukraine.
At the meeting, the IPCC’s next major climate report was formally approved, after two days of additional work. The report – the second part of the new flagship report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – addresses the consequences of climate change and will be released on Monday.
Anisimov told AFP that he spoke at his own expense and not officially on behalf of the Russian delegation.
Before Anisimov’s apology, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Svetlana Krakovska, said that the Ukrainians would not give up. She lamented that the war would now make it difficult to draw attention to climate scientists’ findings.
Over the past few days, Ukrainians at the meeting sometimes had to cancel their participation as a result of the war. The meeting lasted nearly two weeks.
(NTB)
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