Putin to join more than 100 leaders at Paris climate talks

More than 100 world leaders will attend the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Paris, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, France’s foreign minister said Sunday during a three-day ministerial meeting in the capital to prepare the negotiations.

 

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that Putin has accepted an invitation to attend the conference in Paris. He will be among the speakers on the conference’s first day, along with President Barack Obama and the leaders of India and China.

 

The Kremlin hasn’t confirmed Putin’s participation at the so-called COP 21 talks, which aim to reach the most ambitious accord to date limiting emissions that cause global warming.

 

Organizers expect at least 40,000 people in addition to thousands of activists from environmental, human rights and other groups to attend the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 conference.

 

Fabius spoke during a meeting of foreign and environment ministers to prepare the way for the climate conference’s final negotiations.

 

“The purpose of these three days is to find the road of compromise on as many issues as possible,” Fabius told senior officials from more than 70 countries.

 

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