As Greenpeace Russia pointed out, the promises to ratify the protocol “soon” have been voiced repeatedly since 2002. However, since then, the Russian ratification process has been mired despite the fact that the preparation of necessary documents has already been completed, and additional amendments for the Russian legislation process have already been agreed to by an inter-ministerial group headed by Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko.

In the opinion of the Russian office of Greenpeace, in this situation Putin is additionally responsible for the outlined scuttling of the Kyoto Protocol ratification. The Kremlin attributes the procrastination of the ratification to the unproved role of man in climate changes. However, Greenpeace points out that this connection was proved by reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“We are concerned that at the conference Russia will be persuaded not to sign the protocol: this is what the activity of the US administration and scientists, who support US oil companies not interested in the ratification, is linked to,” coordinator of the Greenpeace Russia climate program Nataliya Olefirenko stated.

Another reason that withholds the Russian government is that there are no $3- to $10-billion economic guarantees in the event the protocol is ratified. According to the estimates of Alexander de Roo, an expert of the European parliament, potential investments in the Russian economy after the ratification could exceed $20bn. The existing partner relations between western companies and the Russia-based Gazprom gas holding and the RAO UES energy grid have already been measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.

Greenpeace reported that due to procrastination of the protocol ratification, taking efficient measures in fighting climate changes on a global scale have been postponed, the foreign political image of Russia deteriorates, and new sources of investments in streamlining the Russian manufacturing industry have been declining, while the use of new technologies could bring about a decrease in environment pollution and diseases among Russians.