Putin plans to go to Biden climate summit: report

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly planning to attend President Biden’s virtual climate summit this month despite tensions between the two leaders. 

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing two anonymous officials with knowledge, that a speech for Putin is in the works, but that a final decision hasn’t been made on whether he’ll attend. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say whether the White House had heard from the Kremlin about the summit. 

“I expect as we get closer we’ll have confirmation on who will be participating in the summit,” she told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday. 

The Russian Embassy didn’t immediately return The Hill’s request for comment. 

Putin was among 40 world leaders who were invited to attend the summit, including 17 countries that make up about 80 percent of global emissions and global gross domestic product.

The U.S. is expected to unveil its updated Paris climate agreement contributions ahead of the meeting. 

Russia is the world’s fourth-largest emitter, while the U.S. is its second-largest. 

The country’s reported plans come amid tensions between Russia and the Biden administration, particularly after the U.S. president called Putin a “killer” in a recent interview.