WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nineteen of the World Bank’s 25 executive directors issued a joint statement this week affirming their support for the bank’s continued work on climate change, defying the U.S., the bank’s largest shareholder, and several other countries.

The executive directors for the U.S., Russia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia declined to sign the document; Japan and India – both negotiating trade deals with the U.S. – abstained, a source familiar with the matter said.

The directors, who represent 120 countries, issued the statement after a board meeting with World Bank management, underscoring their expectation that the bank will stick to its climate change action plan goals, including a pledge to devote 45% of its annual financing to climate-related projects.

The document, a copy of

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