The Russian government has approved the Kyoto Protocol today in a decisive show of support for the long-delayed climate change treaty that should allow it to come into force worldwide.
The controversial pact will now be passed to the Kremlin-dominated parliament for ratification.
President Vladimir Putin's government acted despite worries by many officials who say the 1997 UN pact, which orders cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming, would harm the economy and not protect the environment.
The European Union hailed Moscow's decision and seized the moment to urge Washington, whose rejection of the pact in 2001 left it dependent on Russia's approval, to rethink its position.
"The fate of the Kyoto protocol depends on Russia. If we . . . rejected ratification, we would become the ones to blame [for its failure]," Deputy foreign minister Mr Yuri Fedotov told the cabinet meeting.
Russia, which accounts for 17 per cent share of world emissions, holds the key to Kyoto's success or failure since the United States pulled out.
The pact becomes binding once it has been ratified by 55 per cent of the signatories which must, among them, account for 55 per cent of developed countries' carbon dioxide emissions.
Kyoto has surpassed the requirement of signatories after a total of 122 nations have ratified it. But they account only for 44 per cent of total emissions without Russia.
Russia, a signatory of the pact, initially prevaricated on ratification. But in May Mr Putin backed it in exchange for EU agreement on terms of Moscow's admission to the World Trade Organization.
However, today's meeting left unanswered the question of when parliament could practically debate ratification.Prime Minister Mr Mikhail Fradkov has predicted a tough battle in the State Duma lower house.