Taking time off from officially pardoning a giant turkey, US President Barack Obama today announced that not only will he be going to Copenhagen on 9 December for the climate talks, he’ll also be taking with him a gift.

“The President is prepared to put on the table a US emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020,” the White House announced today.

There is a catch, however: the offer will eventually have to be agreed by the notoriously fractious US Congress, so there is a caveat: “… and ultimately in line with final US energy and climate legislation”.

Not everyone is pleased with Obama’s announcement.

“The Copenhagen climate summit is not about a photo opportunity, it’s about getting a global agreement to stop climate chaos,” says Kyle Ash, Greenpeace USA climate policy advisor. “President Obama needs to be there at the same time as all the other world leaders – December 18. This is when he is needed to get the right agreement.”

Obama may have saved the turkey; it remains to be seen if he can save the Copenhagen talks too.