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Boris Johnson's big COP26 moment suffered another blow today as Vladimir Putin confirmed he is snubbing the summit.
The Kremlin said the Russian president will not be attending the gathering in Glasgow at the end of the month.
It comes after China's Xi Jinping made clear he is not intending to travel to the UN event, heightening fears that the summit will fail to make significant progress in the fight against climate change.
Although both countries are expected to send delegations, the presence of national leaders is seen as crucial to add impetus to the process.
Mr Johnson has insisted he is hoping for a 'good' turnout in Glasgow, but pointed to the pandemic as a factor.
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin (left) will not be attending the gathering in Glasgow at the end of the month. China's Xi Jinping (right) is also not expected to go
Boris Johnson has insisted he is hoping for a 'good' turnout in Glasgow, but pointed to the pandemic as a factor
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Covid situation was preventing Mr Putin from travelling.
'He will also not fly to Glasgow, unfortunately,' the spokesman said. 'We need to work out in what format it will be possible to speak via video conference, at what moment
'The issues that will be discussed in Glasgow right now form one of the priorities of our foreign policy.'
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro have also not committed to attending.