Zelensky tells climate meeting war in Russia undermines needed action

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that the "senseless" and "illegal" war provoked by Russia was distracting international attention from the threat of climate change and contributing to the "catastrophic" effects " of global warming.

"The world needs honesty, we must tell those who do not take the climate agenda seriously, that they are committing a catastrophic mistake," he said in a video address to COP27, the United Nations climate change conference taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

He said the conflict in Ukraine has forced countries to face the threat of Russian aggression rather than focus the necessary attention on the common goal of tackling climate change. There “cannot be effective climate policy without peace on Earth,” he said. Russia, he added, must "close its arms and hide its missiles".

"There can be no effective climate policy without peace “says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he calls on Russia to “shut down the guns and hide the missiles.”#COP27 https://t.co/OT2kdG7kTJ