The head of a Russian delegation at a U.N. climate conference apologized for his country’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, calling the incursion “unjustified,” Agence France-Presse reported, citing sources who said they heard him during a virtual meeting on Sunday.
Russia’s Oleg Anisimov made the statement during a closed-door meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“Let me present an apology on behalf of all Russians not able to prevent this conflict,” he said in Russian at the 195-nation virtual meeting, AFP reported.
Mr. Anisimov said it was impossible “to find any justification for the attack on Ukraine.”
His Ukrainian counterpart, Svitlana Krakovska, said climate change and the invasion of her homeland have the same roots — dependence on fossil fuels.
“We will not surrender in Ukraine, and we hope the world will not surrender in building a climate-resilient future,” Ms. Krakovska said, according to AFP.
Mr. Anisimov later said the comment should be considered as his personal belief and doesn’t represent the official view of the Russian delegation to the conference. Other participants in the conference said they were moved by his comments, including when he expressed his admiration for the Ukrainian delegation.
“He knows that there is a risk for him. It was a very sincere message,” one of the participants told AFP.
The two-week climate change meeting was overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Panelists were tasked with distilling a 3,500-page climate report into a 40 page summary meant for policymakers, according to the news agency.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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