UPDATE 3: Russia to ratify climate deal after specifics defined

(Adds details in headline, lede, paragraph 2, 5)

ST. PETERSBURG, Jun 2 (PRIME) -- Russia will ratify the Paris Climate Agreement 2020 when rules for allocation of resources are defined, President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

“We didn’t do it (ratified the accord) because we want to wait for formation of rules for allocation of resources and for other mere technical but important things,” he said.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said earlier on Friday that Russia plans to ratify the agreement and will make the final decision no earlier than January 2019, while presidential aide Andrei Belousov said without the U.S. the agreement can become void.

“Russia plans to ratify the Paris Agreement until 2020 but we will make the final decision no earlier than in January 2019, whether to ratify or not,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister Sergei Donskoi said, adding that the decision will depend on the rules of implementation of the deal.

Putin said that there is time to come to some agreements regarding the accord as it has not come into force yet. “The accord has not come into force yet, it will become effective from 2021. So we still have time, and we can agree on something if we all work in a constructive way,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin said that Russia will fulfill its Paris Agreement liabilities in spite of the U.S. position on the deal.

“It is their business, we are moving on in a consecutive way, as we have been doing. We are fulfilling the undertaken liabilities in a consecutive manner. And we have no plans to stop,” Khloponin said.

Belousov said: “It is clearly evident that without the U.S. participation, the Paris agreement will be invalid because the U.S. is one of the largest discharge producers.”

Russia is analyzing the possible impact of the U.S. decisions on the agreement, he said.

Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he sees no threat that all participants will start to withdraw from the climate agreement after the U.S.

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