Russia Signals Support for Global Warming Treaty

The Russian government declared Wednesday that it is "moving toward ratification" of the Kyoto treaty on global warming despite opposition by a top aide to President Vladimir Putin, offering environmentalists renewed hope of enacting the landmark pact.

The government's declaration signaled that Russia has not ruled out the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is still staking out bargaining positions before deciding whether to join the accord. It contradicted Putin's chief economics adviser, Andrei Illarionov, who predicted Tuesday that Russia would not ratify it...