A decision on whether Russian president Vladimir Putin will attend the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next month has not been taken yet.
The Russian ambassador to the UK said he understands a decision has not been made on whether or not the Russian leader will attend the crucial United Nation summit between November 1 and 12.
Andrei Kelin added his country would send a "large delegation" to the conference which will be attended by more than 140 world leaders including US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Kelin said: "We will send a large delegation and believe me it will be a delegation that will consist of more than 200 people.
"The government will be represented at a very high level."
He defended Russia's efforts to decarbonise, saying "we take the issue very seriously".
"The day before yesterday the president announced that we now have set a goal of reaching hydrocarbon neutrality by 2060.
"We are not very much in a hurry, we do not want to jump. We do not believe that putting artificial goals and not very much calculated goals will help in this situation," Kelin added.
Challenged on 2060 being a later date than other countries are aiming for, he said: "It is not very much later date because the idea is to set up the goal of 2050."
It comes as it was announced that former US president Barack Obama would be attending the summit.
A spokesperson for Obama said: "He will lay out the important progress made in the five years since the Paris Agreement took effect, highlight the leadership of young people around the globe, and urge more robust action going forward by all of us - governments, the private sector, philanthropy, and civil society."
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