John Kerry to visit Moscow officials to discuss ‘global climate ambition’

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will visit Moscow to speak to officials next week about “global climate ambition.”

The trip will take place from July 12-15, the State Department said in a short announcement. It comes as the two nations are at odds over a multitude of issues.

Russia participated in a White House climate summit in April. President Biden said at the time that he was “heartened” that Russian President Vladimir Putin called for collaborating with other countries to advance carbon dioxide removal.

“The United States looks forward to working with Russia and other countries on that endeavor,” Biden said at the time. “It has great promise.” 

China and the U.S. lead the world in terms of emissions of coal and petroleum fumes, according to The Associated Press. Russia is ranked number four due to its dependence on coal burning.

The meeting between Kerry and officials in Moscow comes amid other tensions between the two nations, notably several high-profile ransomware attacks linked to Russian actors.

Biden and Putin held a summit in mid-June, after which Biden indicated that he “did what he came to do.”

The leaders said at the time that after the meeting, the countries “demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.”