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US President slams Russian, Chinese leaders for not showing up in COP26 conference
POLITICS
03.11.2021 | 13:04
US President Joe Biden launched a broadside at his Chinese and Russian counterparts as he departed the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow on Tuesday, accusing them of failing to show leadership.
Biden, who has been keen to promote the US as being back at the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change, said Beijing and Moscow had lost influence by not being present.
He began by criticizing the decision of China’s President Xi Jinping — whose economy is the largest overall emitter — not to attend the summit, at the beginning of the 13-day climate negotiations.
“The fact that China, trying to assert, understandably, a new role in the world as a world leader, not showing up? Come on!” said Biden. “The single most important thing that’s gotten the attention of the world is climate. Everywhere. From Iceland to Australia, it just is a gigantic issue. And they’ve walked away. How do you do that and claim to be able to have any leadership mantle?”
“The same with Putin and Russia,” said Biden, turning his focus to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“His tundra is burning — literally, the tundra is burning. He has serious, serious climate problems, and he is mum on willingness to do anything,” he said.
