The Russian government has approved the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, however it still requires ratification by the Parliament.
President Putin has blown hot and cold over whether to back the treaty, which requires Russian support before it can come into force.
The treaty could come into force within three months as the parliament is controlled by Putin's party however some commentators have speculated that he could yet use this stage to extract further concessions from the EU (his ratification decision followed gaining EU backing for Russia's entry into the WTO). |
