MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Investments in green energy should not be imposed from outside to the detriment of the country's economy, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said following the government's strategic session.
In his statement that was published on the official government Telegram channel, the minister indicated that the government supported the initiative of the Economic Development Ministry to combine energy efficiency and climate agenda issues in a single program. According to him, "investments in green energy should be economically effective - they should not be imposed from outside to the detriment of the country's economy."
Deputy Economic Development Minister Vladimir Ilyichev told TASS earlier that Russia is ready to reevaluate its position on climate regulation if the US withdraws from the Paris Agreement. "In my opinion, low-carbon development is a long-term trend that is already having a serious impact on business and society. Of course, there are a lot of discussions now on how the recent US elections may affect the further development of the international climate agenda. Everyone knows Donald Trump's skeptical position and the fact that during his last [presidential] term, the US withdrew from the Paris Agreement. Nevertheless, if the US makes a similar decision now, we will consider possible changes [to Russia’s position on climate]," the deputy minister said.
According to Ilyichev, Russia has a consistent and realistic position on climate issues "even in the current difficult geopolitical conditions".
Commenting on calls from international organizations to abandon fossil fuels as soon as possible, Ilyichev noted that there can be no quick solutions in this area, and strict restrictions on support for fossil fuels, as well as the lack of access to financing for the energy transition, can lead to a technological gap for developing countries and countries with economies in transition.