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Early
this morning I was alerted by a Radio NZ report that Vladimir Putin
was skipping a session at the G-20 in Brisbane and leaving early
because of presure from western leaders. It reflected the BBC by
saying that Putin “cut an isolated figure” but failed to report
that these reports are being denied by the Russians.
I
doubt if Putin is going anywhere soon.
Putin plans to leave G20 early: report
Reports Vladimir Putin is leaving Brisbane's G20 Summit early due to pressure over the Ukraine crisis are "nonsense", the Russian President's press secretary says.
15
November, 2014
On
Saturday night Bloomberg.com said Mr Putin was intending to skip an
official G20 lunch on Sunday and bring forward a media conference
before leaving for home.
Presidential
spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out that Mr Putin was leaving
early. However he rejected reports Mr Putin's possible departure was
linked to ongoing scrutiny over the situation in the Ukraine.
"This
is full nonsense," he told Russian state news agency TASS.
"Negotiators
are raising this issue constantly.
"This
is an ordinary routine situation."
Mr
Putin's response to the downing of commercial flight MH17 and
Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis have overshadowed his attendance
at the G20 summit.
Earlier
this year, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott famously vowed to
"shirt front" Mr Putin over the MH17 incident, in which 27
Australians died.
While
there have been simmering tensions between the pair, they publicly
shook hands and later posed with koalas for the cameras.
Mr
Putin arrived in Brisbane late on Friday night.
Canada's
PM To Putin: "I Guess I'll Shake Your Hand..." Putin's
Response "It Was Not Positive"
15
November, 2014
Following
last week's (humiliating for
the US)
APEC meeting in Beijing, in which the BRIC nations clearly distanced
themselves from the "developed world" and the topic of the
"Russian
invasion of Ukraine"
was largely missing as it is clearly not in the interest of the
Pacific nations to warmonger when the two key nations, Russia and
China are obviously not complying with the western media 'straight
to populism'
narrative, it was time for another major world summit, this time in
the quite "western" Brisbane, Australia.
It
was here that the G-7 part of the G-20 nations seized the opportunity
to quickly pivot against Moscow and remind Europe that the reason why
Europe is in a triple-dip recession (if one removes the GDP "boost"
from hookers and blow) is because of Russia's "take over"
of east Ukraine, ignoring the reality that it was the
US State Department's Victoria Nuland that
incited the Kiev coup and the west that imposed the "costly"
sanctions on Russia which have hurt Germany and Europe just as badly.
This was all largely lost on the local, as outside the summit,
Ukrainian Australians staged an anti-Putin protest, wearing headbands
reading "Putin, Killer".
It
was a full court press from the start: as the NYT
reports,
"at a speech at a university in Brisbane, Mr.
Obama called Russia’s aggression against Ukraine a “threat to the
world,as
we saw in the appalling shootdown of MH-17, a tragedy that took so
many innocent lives, among them your fellow citizens,” a reference
to the Australian citizens and residents who were killed when
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 went down in eastern Ukraine.
“As
your ally and friend, America shares the grief of these Australian
families, and we share the determination of your nation for justice
and accountability,” Mr. Obama said."
This
charade was set to continue Sunday, when leaders from the European
Union planned to meet with Mr. Obama to discuss Ukraine, among other
issues, said Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European
Council. He said the European Union was committed to finding a
political solution to the crisis.
“We
will continue to use all the diplomatic tools, including sanctions,
at our disposal,” he said.
Indeed,
as Reuters
adds "Western
leaders warned Vladimir Putin at a G20 summit on Saturdaythat
he risked more economic sanctions if
he failed to end Russian backing for separatist rebels in Ukraine."
But
perhaps the best confirmation that all the G-20 meeting was nothing
but a giant populist photo-op comes from Bloomberg which
reports that "Russian President Vladimir Putin got a blunt
message when he approached Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for
a handshake at today’s Group of 20 summit in Brisbane, Australia.
“I
guess I’ll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you:
you need to get out of Ukraine,” Harper
told Putin, the prime minister’s spokesman Jason MacDonald said in
an e-mail.
“Indeed
Harper told Putin that Russia should leave Ukraine,” Peskov said by
phone today in Brisbane. “Putin
told him that this is impossible because they are not there.”
Asked
about the tone of the meeting between the two leaders, Peskov said
“it
was within the bounds of decency.”
Say
no more.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin, right, walks past Canadian Prime
Minister
Stephen Harper, left, during a welcoming ceremony at the G-20 summit in Brisbane.
Stephen Harper, left, during a welcoming ceremony at the G-20 summit in Brisbane.
Yet
at the end of the day, captioned photo-op or not, one wonders how
much of all the front-page drama is even remotely real when every
single time the west goes on the "offensive" against Putin
with "costs" just
to have a convenient scapegoat for Europe's ongoing depression,
one hears in the back of one head the following exchange:
Obama: "This
is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility."
Medvedev: "I
understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir"
Here is the view from "Pravda on the Thames"
Ukraine
crisis: Russia under pressure at G20 summit
BBC,
15
November, 2014
Russia
has been rebuked by Western leaders about its role in the Ukraine
crisis, at a G20 summit in Australia.
Canadian
Prime Minister Stephen Harper told Russian President Vladimir Putin
that he needed to "get out of Ukraine".
US
President Barack Obama said Moscow's "aggression" in
Ukraine was a "threat to the world", while the UK
threatened more sanctions unless Russia stopped "destabilising"
its neighbour.
The
two-day summit in Brisbane is focusing on promoting economic growth.
World
leaders are expected to elaborate on plans agreed by G20 finance
ministers in February to boost global growth by 2% in five years.
Frosty
handshake
However,
Saturday - the first of the two-day summit - was dominated by
Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting government
forces in eastern regions.
Ukraine
and its Western allies have accused Russia of sending military forces
across the border, something the Kremlin denies.
The
EU imposed sanctions when Russia annexed Crimea in March and has
added further measures since.
Before
the G20 summit began, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said there
would "have to be a very different relationship" between
Europe and Russia if "we continue to see Russian troops"
inside Ukraine, adding that there was "the potential for further
sanctions".
Mr
Cameron later held a private meeting with Mr Putin. The two discussed
"rebuilding relations", Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said.
The
Russian president faced a frosty reception from Canada's Mr Harper.
"I'll
shake your hand, but I only have one thing to say to you: you need to
get out of Ukraine," Mr Harper told him, the Canadian leader's
spokesman said.
President
Obama said the US was at the forefront of "opposing Russia's
aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world".
If
President Putin expected a warm diplomatic welcome at the G20 under
the blazing Brisbane sun, he was disappointed; he was in fact
subjected to something more akin to a severe Siberian winter.
The
West believes Russia is behind the escalation of tension in eastern
Ukraine - a conflict that has already cost 4,000 lives. Tensions have
also been increased by Russian military activity around Nato's
borders, with several instances of fighter planes being scrambled to
intercept Russian aircraft.
On
Monday, EU foreign ministers will consider whether to extend
sanctions against Russia - there are already restrictions on the
energy, defence and finance sectors as well as travel bans and asset
freezes on individuals.
President
Putin denies he is directly involved in Ukraine, and dismisses
sanctions as pointless. It all amounts to a standoff between the West
and Russia - and little sign of any thaw in prospect.
The
BBC's John Donnison in Brisbane says President Putin cut something of
an isolated figure among the world's powerbrokers.
Russian
officials said he was planning to leave the summit on Sunday ahead of
schedule, but gave no reasons for the move.
Meeting
on the margins of the summit on Saturday, Mr Putin urged his French
counterpart Francois Hollande to join him to defuse tensions between
the two countries over Ukraine.
France
has withheld the delivery of two warships to the Russian navy over
its actions in Ukraine.
'Message
of hope'
Meanwhile,
President Obama said Asia's security must not be based on
intimidation of small nations by big ones, but on mutual alliances.
He
did not mention China explicitly but he warned of the dangers posed
by territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing's
actions have raised concern among its neighbours.
US
President Obama: "Choices are conflict or co-operation,
oppression or liberty"
Mr
Obama said there was "no question" over his commitment to
Asia-Pacific allies, referring to US efforts to strengthen strategic
ties with the region.
Opening
the summit, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he wanted to
use the event to reassure people about the direction of the world's
economy, with a "message of hope and optimism".
He
said job creation, identifying tax cheats and strengthening the
global economy would all be discussed.
His
government had tried to keep climate change off the agenda, despite
calls from campaigners.
In
other developments, G20 leaders released a statement in which they
vowed to do all they could to "extinguish" the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa.
It
said that members state were committed to do what was necessary "to
ensure the international effort can extinguish the outbreak and
address its medium-term economic and humanitarian costs".
RT has
opted for the softer, cuddlier aspects of the meeting - perhaps
sensibly waitingк to see what comes out of the meeting before doing
the serious reporting. The promised 'shirt-fronting' did not
happen, possibly, partly explained by the fact that Abbott has his
own worries - being isolated over policy towards climate change
'It’s
called a koala, Tony': Twitter explodes after Abbott trades
'shirtfronting' Putin for cuddly joint pic
15
November, 2014
Twitter
users have had a field day with Australian PM Tony Abbott’s claim
that he would “shirtfront” Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit over
the MH17 crash – because the leaders' face-to-face encounter
actually resulted in a...koala cuddle.
Yes,
that’s right. Social media is abuzz with photos of Abbott and Putin
snuggling up to the world’s cutest marsupial, even though previous
statements had almost guaranteed that a scuffle was in the work.
When
the soft, furry critter sunk its claws into Putin’s suit, the
Australian PM seemed to feel quite soft and fuzzy inside himself; a
smackdown shoulder charge appeared to be the last thing on his mind.
Abbott’s
remark came back in October, after he told journalists that he
would “shirtfront” the
Russian president on the sidelines of the G20 summit over the MH17
tragedy.
“I
am going to shirtfront Mr. Putin – you bet I am – I am going to
be saying to Mr. Putin [that] Australians were murdered, they were
murdered by Russian-backed rebels,” Abbott
said.
Twitter
users wondered why the promised “shirtfront” was
no where to be found.
'Shirtfront'
is a football term for a front-on chest bump or rough handling aimed
at knocking a rival backwards to the ground. It is a “reportable
offence and considered illegal,” according
to the Australian Football Rules website.
Abbott
has faced his fair share of criticism both online and in the media
lately. Most recently, he came under fire for stating that before
colonization in 1788, the country was “nothing
except bushes” –
apparently forgetting about the country's indigenous peoples.
Meanwhile,
the only “shirtfronting” to
take place happened on Friday at the official greeting for the G20
summit in Brisbane – but it wasn't by Abbott; it was by Canadian PM
Stephen Harper.
Putin
approached the Canadian PM with his hand extended, which Harper shook
while simultaneously accusing Putin of sending troops to Ukraine.
“Well
I guess I’ll shake your hand, but I only have one thing to say to
you: you need to get out of Ukraine,” Harper
said, as cited by his spokesman Jason MacDonald.
According
to the Kremlin’s press service, Putin’s reply was
that “unfortunately it
is impossible – because we are not there.”
Western
media is closely following every step of the Russian president at the
G20 summit. After his meetings with British PM David Cameron and
France’s President Francois Hollande, during which the Ukraine
crisis was discussed,
Reuters cited “an
unnamed source in the Russian delegation” claiming
that Putin planned to leave the summit early after Western leaders'
pressure over the Ukraine crisis.
Russian
presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied those reports, saying
they were simply wrong.
"The
G20 summit ends tomorrow [on Sunday] and Vladimir Putin will surely
leave it – when all the work is finished,” he
told Kommersant FM radio.
"Putin cut an isolated figure" says the BBC. He doesn't look very isolated here, meeting with the leaders of the BRICS who are rapidly becoming more significant economically than the western bloc.
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