Putin Will Attend Biden's Climate Summit

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will attend the virtual climate summit summoned by U.S. President Joe Biden on April 22 and 23, the Kremlin confirmed on Monday.

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"Vladimir Putin will outline Russia's approaches within the context of establishing broad-ranging international cooperation aimed at overcoming the negative consequences of global climate change," the government said.

President Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and Putin. The Kremlin confirmation marks a pause amid an escalation of tension between Russia and the U.S.

Today, via a telephone call, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev discussed in advance the prospect of Thursday's meeting as well as “regional and global matters of concern,” the U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement.