Russian official apologizes to Ukraine at climate science meeting

[Anta Assamey]

Smoke is seen rising from behind buildings following bombings in Kyiv | Pierre Crom/Getty Images

A Russian government representative apologized to Ukraine and said there was no justification for his country's invasion during a meeting of climate scientists and governments on Sunday morning.

During the final session of a two-week online meeting to approve the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest blockbuster climate report, the head of the Moscow delegation Oleg Anisimov said in Russian: "First of all, let me thank Ukraine and present an apology on behalf of all Russians who were not able to prevent this conflict. All of those who know what is happening fail to find any justification for this attack against Ukraine."

The meeting was not public, although summaries are published that describe the positions countries take. The language was shared with POLITICO via a translated transcription and confirmed by another person who attended the meeting.

The Ukrainian delegation was forced to quit the meeting on Thursday after Russian troops invaded the country, with the head of delegation Svitlana Krakovska telling POLITICO her colleagues had to seek refuge in bomb shelters. It was later reported that she returned to the meeting for the final session.

Anisimov applauded the Ukrainian efforts to participate until it was no longer possible: "Since we are dealing with scientific issues, we have huge admiration for the Ukrainian delegation that was able to still do its work."

The IPCC approved the final version of the report on Sunday. It is the deepest investigation yet into the impacts of climate change around the world. It will be released Monday.