Russia is unlikely to announce a decision on whether it will sign the Kyoto Protocol at tomorrow's EU summit, a source in Russia's Energy and Industry ministry said today.
The source said Minister Viktor Khristenko would ask today's government meeting to postpone the deadline for a decision to August 20th.
"Mr Khristenko has signed a request to the government to extend the deadline for examining Kyoto by three months," the source said. "There will be no unified position so it is very unlikely that there can be an announcement at the summit."
Russian news agencies quoted a Kremlin source as saying the landmark environmental pact, which stands or falls on Russia's decision, would not even be discussed at the EU-Russia summit.
The European Union has put pressure on Russia to ratify the treaty, which seeks to cut emissions of the gases that cause global warming, but the Kremlin has said it needs more time.
The ministry source said the delay was caused by differences in opinion between the ministry, which approves of the treaty, and the Russian Academy of Sciences, which says the protocol has no scientific foundation.
"Khristenko does not want to fall out with the Academy of Sciences," the source said.