Climate change is increasingly affecting the politics and economies of the world’s nations: its physical manifestations pose numerous threats to human and national security, while its mitigation requires significant investments and regulatory measures which are increasingly transforming socioeconomic systems. Russia’s climate policy, still in its formative stage, is also developing in this context. Contemporary research concerning it focuses primarily on national climate change regulation and its individual aspects, while its international dimension remains under-researched. We use the example of Russia’s discourses within the framework of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP to the UNFCCC) after the adoption of the Paris Agreement to trace the evolution of the external dimension of Russia's climate policy. Several leading narratives are identified within the discourse: the “forest” narrative, related to Russia’s promotion of the international recognition of the importance of carbon sinks; the “sanctions”-related one, within which Russia maintains that foreign restrictive measures impede its capacities to contribute to global climate change mitigation efforts; the narrative on the creation of a universal compliance mechanism for the Paris Agreement; as well as the narrative that concerns developing states and the need to build up support for their green transition. We find that each narrative, as well as the application of such discursive categories as "global", "universal" and "international" are closely interconnected with the state’s overall foreign policy directions. We demonstrate that as the role of climate change in international politics is augmenting, Russia increasingly seeks to position itself more confidently within its framework despite the altered geopolitical conditions that have significantly diminished the impact of some of the most important drivers of the country’s climate policy development. We conclude that Russia’s policy within the COP to the UNFCCC has evolved towards, on the one hand, increased promotion of an alternative decarbonization agenda and, on the other hand, providing greater support, including climate finance, for developing states. Both follow the logic of Russia’s foreign policy orientation towards the establishment of a polycentric world order with increased role of the non-West in decision-making on the key issues related to the international system.external climate policy, Paris agreement, climate policy ambition, factors of climate policy evolution, ecosystems’ absorption capacity, climate finance, sanctions.