CATHOLIC 4 LIFE: Snubbed at the airport, made to sit alone at dinner, shunted to the edge of the family photo and condemned by world leaders… it’s no wonder President Putin was Russian to leave the G20 summit

From Vlad to worse: He was snubbed at the airport, made to sit alone at dinner, shunted to the edge of the family photo and condemned by world leaders… it’s no wonder President Putin was Russian to leave the G20 summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin has left Australia, cutting his attendance at Brisbane’s G20 Summit short
The weekend saw a series of diplomatic snubs from Western leaders who demanded accountability from the Russian President for the MH17 flight disaster
Many expected outright confrontation as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had threatened to ‘shirtfront’ the Russian hardman and some had speculated whether he would be banned from the event entirely
The weekend got off to a bad start when Mr Putin was greeted at Brisbane airport by minor political figures, only minutes before delegates from China and Germany were met by the cream of Australia’s political crop
The Russian president had an awkward encounter when he was greeted by Mr Abbott, giving an odd hand gesture
Mr Putin was put in ‘social Siberia’ in the G20 leaders ‘family photo’ and ate dinner alone
Canadian PM Stephen Harper allegedly told Mr Putin to ‘get out of the Ukraine’ while other leaders including US President Barack Obama publicly condemned Russia’s involvement in the embattled nation
Mr Putin announced he was leaving the Summit early after a ‘tense’ meeting with UK leader David Cameron
The Russian President claimed he was leaving early due to long flight back to Russia and the need to sleep

It has been a tumultuous weekend at the G20 Summit for Vladimir Putin, as the Russian President’s presence sparked hostility from political leaders and protesters alike.

Mr Putin’s visit to Australia was marred by a series of diplomatic snubs and frostiness from Western leaders, sparking an early exit for the Russian hardman who flew out of Australia on Sunday afternoon, cutting his intended stay short.

While Mr Putin’s delegation claimed his swift exodus was as a result of the long flight back to Russia and his need to be well-rested for his return to official business on Monday morning, some have speculated whether a ‘tense’ meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron was the straw that broke the President’s back.

Mr Putin’s attendance at Brisbane’s G20 Summit was anticipated by many to involve confrontation with Western political leaders, who were demanding accountability over the MH17 flight tragedy in July. There appeared to be questions over whether Mr Putin would be invited to attend the Summit, and while the consensus among G20 members was that the Russian President should attend, Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey expected there to be ‘full and frank dialogue’. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that he was planning to demand an apology from the Russian President. ‘I’m going to shirtfront Mr Putin,’ Mr Abbott said in the lead up to the Summit. ‘I’m going to be saying to Mr Putin, Australians were murdered. They were murdered by Russian-backed rebels using Russian-supplied equipment.’ Last week’s APEC saw Mr Abbott meet with Mr Putin, who appeared bored with the interaction, which was far less confrontational than previously expected.

There appeared to be questions over whether Mr Putin would be banned from attending the Summit, and while the consensus among G20 members was that the Russian President should attend, Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey expected there to be ‘full and frank dialogue’. Prime Minister Tony Abbott had infamously said that he was planning to demand an apology from the Russian President at last week’s APEC Summit.

‘I’m going to shirtfront Mr Putin,’ Mr Abbott said in the lead up to the conference. ‘I’m going to be saying to Mr Putin, Australians were murdered. They were murdered by Russian-backed rebels using Russian-supplied equipment.’ The APEC Summit saw Mr Abbott meet with Mr Putin, who appeared bored with the interaction, which was far less confrontational than previously expected. During the quick 15 minute communication, Abbott put to Putin that when the US accidentally shot down an airliner it paid compensation and apologised for the incident, and urged Russia to do the same, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Humorous video - Warning: (colorful language) – Tony Abbott threatens to shirtfront Vladimir Putin

Abbott is also said to have told the Russian leader that he had intelligence suggesting the missile launcher which destroyed MH17 originated from Russia before it was shot from Eastern Ukraine and then returned to Russia. It was on the back of this meeting that Mr Putin arrived in Brisbane for the G20 Summit on Friday evening, which saw some of the world’s most influential political leaders gather to discuss major global issues. It appeared that the welcome party which met the Russian President reflected the underlying animosity that was expressed by many Western leaders over the course of the weekend. Arriving in Brisbane, Mr Putin’s plane was snubbed at the airport by major political figures, as he was greeted by the Governor of Queensland, Paul de Jersey and Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Roberts. Less than five minutes later Attorney-General George Brandis and Queensland Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney rushed to greet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and his wife met Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aircraft as it landed.

Mr Abbott was cordial when he greeted the Russian Prime Minister at the beginning of Saturday’s formalities, but some wondered about a two-fingered hand gesture Mr Putin made during the encounter. The odd encounter left Mr Abbott making a hand gesture of his own, and left some speculating as to the meaning of the interaction, as Mr Putin appeared unengaged and was seen visibly yawning during the Summit’s proceedings on Saturday.

The political atmosphere continued to be uncomfortable, with commentators joking that Mr Putin had been relegated to ‘Siberia’ in the leader’s ‘family photo’, far from the central players Barack Obama, Chinese president Xi Jinping and host Tony Abbott. Mr Putin was snapped looking questioningly at the other delegates, who were laughing and engaging in friendly and familiar discussions. He was also subjected to a particularly lonely lunch, digging into a meal at a table all by himself.

Outside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre where the Summit was held, the Russian President faced a hoard of protesters. Gathered in their thousands to rally against many of the issues being discussed, some of the most vocal were those calling for Putin to be expelled from the country. Activists created ‘coffins’ during the anti-Putin rally by placing national flags of the MH17 victims over the bodies of protesters, demanding that Putin join in the effort to bring closure to the victim’s families, reported The ABC. ‘People are devastated by what happened,’ said demonstrator Andriy Rymovskyy. ‘It’s just one of those things that needs to be brought up and not ignored,’ he said.

Mr Putin also copped criticism from the likes of US President Barack Obama, who criticised ‘Russian aggression’ in a landmark speech at the University of Queensland on Saturday, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. At a leader’s retreat prior to the summit’s formal opening on Saturday, Mr Harper reportedly told Putin: ‘I guess I’ll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine’. It was within this environment that discussions on world issues and the global economy continued, with Mr Putin appearing stonefaced and somber as he left meetings and attended speeches. However, it wasn’t all fire and brimstone for the Russian President, who enjoyed a meeting with a few of Australia’s furry ambassadors.

Taking some time out to hold a koala with the Mr Abbott, Mr Putin cracked a smile as he and the other political leaders had close encounters with the iconic Australian animal. As day turned into evening, Mr Putin hosted a ‘tense’ meeting with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande, and there was intense speculation afterwards – denied by the Kremlin – that the Russian leader would leave the summit early. Mr Cameron is said to have delivered some stern words to Mr Putin about Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. The U.K. prime minister said he told Mr Putin he was at a ‘crossroads’ and was risking his relationship with other Western countries. ‘There’s a real choice here, there’s a different and better way for Russia to behave that could lead to an easing of relations, but at the moment, he’s not taking that path,’ Mr Cameron said.

When it was confirmed that Mr Putin would be cutting his visit short, it left some wondering whether it was as a result of the stern words from the UK leader. ‘The programme of the second day (Sunday) is changing, it’s being cut short,’ confirmed a source in the Russian delegation..The spokesperson for the Russian president denied that it was criticism from Western leaders which had prompted the move, saying that ‘there had been no scandals,’ reportedYahoo.

Mr Putin, who said the reason for his early departure was that it took so long to fly home and get back to work, was full of praise for a ‘businesslike’ Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The controversial Russian leader left the leaders’ summit around 12:30pm this afternoon, returning to the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane’s CBD to address his country’s travelling press. He travelled in a motorcade to the airport and boarded his plane immediately following the briefing. Mr Putin told reporters it took nine hours to fly to Vladivostok and then a further nine hours to return to Moscow, and that he had to fly out early to return to work on Monday. According to a translation, Mr Putin said: ‘Our host, prime minister Tony Abbott, he creates a wonderful atmosphere for working together.’ ‘Our views are not the same on some issues but we had a very substantive discussion and I think it was very successful.’

Putin, who added that he had ‘frank discussions’ on the sidelines of the G20, continued: ‘He’s very businesslike… everybody stayed on schedule but at the same time he provided everybody an opportunity to say something. ‘

‘He was a very good moderator, a very professional partner.’ The Ukraine issue had came up, Mr Putin said, and he described the meeting overall as ‘constructive and productive’. In an address on Sunday afternoon Mr Abbott confirmed that he had a discussion with Mr Putin about MH17. ‘I had a very candid and robust discussion with President Putin in Beijing – I suspect he had a number in the past couple of days,’ Mr Abbott said. ‘It does give the opportunity for the world’s leaders to speak candidly with one another – I don’t particularly approve in fact I utterly deplore what seems to be happening in eastern Ukraine. ‘I demand that Russia fully cooperate fully with the criminal investigation into the downing of MH17.’ Time will tell what the Russian hardman’s next move will be and whether discussions during the Summit will have an impact on Mr Putin’s actions in the future.