Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaks during the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington, D.C., last May. (AIM for Climate Summit)
Kerry's remarks came after a Russian news agency reporter, Igor Naimushin, asked him about the U.S. relationship with Russia on his climate agenda.
"I believe that Russia has the ability to be able to make enormous changes if it really wanted to. I mean, if Russia has the ability to wage a war illegally and invade another country, they ought to be able to find the effort to be responsible on the climate issue," Kerry said.
"And unfortunately, because of the actions that Russia took in an unprovoked, illegal war against another nation, we have not been engaged in discussions with Russia, sadly," he continued. "I say "sadly" because it’s a loss for the world not to be able to have Russia acting constructively on this issue."
John Kerry's comments are his latest about the climate change implications of the war in Ukraine. (Foreign Press Center)
Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kerry told multiple media outlets that he was concerned about emissions from a potential military conflict.
WHITE HOUSE SILENT AFTER JOHN KERRY LAMENTS UKRAINE WAR'S CARBON EMISSIONS
"Equally, importantly, you’re going to lose people’s focus," Kerry told BBC in February 2022. "You’re going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted, and I think it could have a damaging impact. Hopefully [Russian President Vladimir Putin] would realize that in the northern part of his country, they used to live on 66% of a nation that was over frozen land. Now, it’s thawing."
"I am concerned in terms of the climate efforts that a war is the last thing you need with respect to a united effort to try to deal with the climate challenge," Kerry told Reuters in a separate interview that same day. "Obviously, we hope that we can compartmentalize, but it’s just made that much more difficult without any question."
President Joe Biden and John Kerry. (Getty Images / File)
In 2021, Biden appointed Kerry to be the U.S. SPEC, a position that had not previously existed and did not require Senate approval.
Kerry traveled worldwide, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives.
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Kerry's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News' Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.
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