LONDON (Reuters) – It is better to do things in person but individual world leaders will have their own constraints about attending the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Scotland, the summit’s president Alok Sharma said on Wednesday.
The Kremlin earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not attend in person, delivering a blow to hopes of a breakthrough international deal on climate change.
“We want absolutely every single world leader to be there but individual world leaders will have individual constraints,” Sharma told a committee of lawmakers when asked about Putin not attending. “It is better to do things in person. In the case of Russia … they will be sending a delegation.”
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Michael Holden)