Russia's Lavrov holds climate talks with US envoy Kerry


FE Team | Published: February 14, 2021 10:16:38 | Updated: February 16, 2021 22:24:28


FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry leave after their bilateral meeting at the APEC Ministers Summit in Lima, Peru November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Ralston/Pool

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed climate change with US climate envoy John Kerry on Saturday, with the pair agreeing to cooperate further within the Arctic Council, the Russian foreign ministry said.

The phone conversation came as tension between Moscow and the West have intensified. Lavrov said on Friday that Russia would be ready to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc imposed painful economic sanctions, according to a Reuters report.

Lavrov told Kerry he welcome the new US administration’s intention to rejoin the Paris Agreement, the global treaty committing nearly 200 countries to halt rising temperatures quickly enough to avoid disastrous climate change.

Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, calling it a “disaster” for America.

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