US envoy and Putin agree to work together on climate issues: US State Department

US climate envoy John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call on Wednesday that the US and Russia should work together on climate issues, the US State Department said in a statement.

“Recognizing recent extreme weather events and other climate impacts, as well as the urgency to act,” the statement said, Putin and Kerry “underscored the importance of the US and Russia working together across a range of climate issues.”

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Kerry was in Moscow for Wednesday’s phone call. He met on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ideas on combating global warming.

In the call, Kerry told Putin the US and Russia have important roles to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the State Department.

“Putin concurred about the need to redouble international climate efforts and affirmed Russia’s intention to address its own emissions, including in the forest sector, among other actions,” the statement said.

In its readout of the call, the Kremlin said climate change was an area where Moscow and Washington had common interests. It said Putin told Kerry that dialog on the climate should not be politicized.

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