Russia says US pullout 'seriously undermines' climate pact

Russia on Tuesday joined other nations in criticising the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, saying it seriously undermined the agreement.

The US pullout "undermines this agreement in the most serious way, because it is the leading country in terms of emissions," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"And without the largest economy in the world, it's very, very hard to talk about any kind of climate agreement." Washington on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.

President Donald Trump went ahead with the move, which had been expected, on the first possible date under the accord negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

After initially holding out, Russia formally adopted the accord in September, with authorities saying climate change was a growing risk to the economy and public safety.