In its recent report to the United Nations (UN) on greenhouse gas emissions, Russia included the territories it controls in its aggression against Ukraine, which sparked protests by Ukrainian officials and activists at the COP29 climate summit in Baku.
Moscow's move comes at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering potential negotiations on a peace treaty with the future president of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump, which could decide the fate of vast territories.
"We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalize their actions, to legalize their occupation of our territory," Ukraine's Deputy Environment Minister Olha Yukhimchuk told Reuters.
She said that Ukraine is in contact with officials of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN's main climate body, to ask it to resolve the dispute.
Russia has already included greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine's Crimea region, annexed in 2014, in several of its recent reports to the UNFCCC.
By the way, Azerbaijan, which hosted COP29, the UN climate conference, is under fire for the pollution caused by the huge oil industry.
Bonus video:
