US President Joe Biden has invited 40 heads of state including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Leaders Summit on Climate.

The White House released a statement on Friday on the virtual gathering which Biden will host on April 22 and 23.

Countries invited are responsible for a significant proportion of global emissions and GDP. The leaders include Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide.

Countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change are also invited.

The statement says the summit will focus on galvanizing efforts to reduce emissions in order to limit global warming.

Also to be discussed will be the economic opportunities of climate action, such as job creation, as well as the importance of ensuring the transition to a clean energy economy benefits communities and workers.

The statement says the US will announce its 2030 emissions target by the time of the summit.

Biden returned the US to the Paris Agreement on climate change on his first day in office.