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 h

[superbeets]

[h=1]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[/h]

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has cut his attendance at the G20 Summit in Australia short
• Departed shortly before President Obama and European leaders opened their talks on Ukraine, where Russia is backing separatist rebels
• Putin, the first leader to fly out of Brisbane, claimed he left early because he wanted to be rested before returning to work on Monday
• The weekend saw a series of diplomatic snubs from Western leaders who demanded accountability from the Russian President for the MH17 flight disaster
• 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 President Obama publicly condemned Russia's involvement in the embattled nation
• On the potential for increasing sanctions against Russia, Obama said the U.S. and European allies are always looking at more penalties but the existing sanctions are 'biting plenty good'

 

[superbeets]

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.
Putin's trip was marred by a series of diplomatic snubs and frostiness from Western leaders, sparking an early exit for the Russian leader who flew out on Sunday afternoon, cutting his intended stay short.
He also departed Australia shortly before President Barack Obama and European leaders opened their talks on Ukraine, where Russia is backing separatist rebels in the east of the country after annexing Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula in March.

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President Putin was the first leader to fly out of Australia shortly before President Barack Obama and European leaders opened their talks on Ukraine

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On the potential for increasing sanctions against Russia, Obama said the U.S. and European allies are always looking at more penalties but the existing sanctions are 'biting plenty good'

In July, A Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down, killing all 298 people on board, while flying over a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine.
Putin was the first leader to fly out of Brisbane as his fellow leaders in the G-20 club of wealthy and developing nations shared a lunch and before they released the communique to cap off their annual summit.
The Russian leader explained he left early because he wanted to be rested before returning to work. He began the half-hour news conference by praising his host, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for providing a ‘nice, welcoming and good working atmosphere.’

 

[superbeets]

‘On Monday I must go to work. I hope to have four or five hours to sleep,’ Putin said shortly before leaving Brisbane. ‘I told this to Tony and he was very understanding so I didn't give it a second thought.’
Despite reports that Putin had been planning an early departure in response to the cold shoulder from world leaders, Abbott's office said the early afternoon exit had been scheduled.
The U.S., Australia and Japan issued a statement condemning Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper reacted to an offer of a handshake from Putin by responding, ‘I guess I'll shake your hand, but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine.’

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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

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Media commentators wondered as to the meaning behind Australian Prime Minister's expression as he looked at the back of Mr Putin

Ukraine, once a part of the Soviet Union, has tilted toward the European Union, angering Putin who wants to keep the country within Russia's orbit.
Obama bluntly accused Putin of not living up to a cease-fire agreement in Ukraine, but offered no new plans for how the West might change his calculus.
Obama spoke shortly after huddling with European leaders including French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss the conflict and worsening security situation.
On the potential for increasing sanctions against Russia, Obama said the U.S. and European allies are always looking at more penalties but the existing sanctions are ‘biting plenty good.’
Despite a cease-fire agreement between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels signed in Minsk, Belarus, in September, fighting continues and key conditions haven't been met.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of fueling the rebellion with a constant flow of troops and weapons, accusations Moscow has denied.

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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

 

[superbeets]

Abbott has been particularly strong-worded in his criticism of Russia since Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 plane was shot down in July. Australia lost 38 citizens and residents in the MH 17 disaster.
Abbott at one point said he planned to ‘shirt front’ - or physically confront - Putin over the disaster.
Asked at the conclusion of the summit about where things stood with the Russian leader, Abbott responded that they'd had a ‘very robust’ discussion about the situation in Ukraine.
‘I utterly deplore what seems to be happening in eastern Ukraine,’ Abbott said. ‘I demand that Russia fully cooperate with the investigation, the criminal investigation of the downing of MH17, one of the most terrible atrocities of recent times.’
Putin said Ukraine was never mentioned during the official G-20 meetings, but was brought up at every meeting with other leaders he attended on the sidelines.
‘Those discussions were very honest, meaningful and very helpful,’ Putin said.
‘I spoke generally a bit about sanctions in my private meetings and there was a shared understanding that sanctions are bad for both countries and we also talked about what should be done to get out of this situation,’ he said.
Asked if he had felt pressured by his G-20 colleagues, Putin told reporters: ‘I'm very happy with the result and with the atmosphere.’

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Mr Abbott was cordial when he greeted the Russian Prime Minister at the beginning of Saturday's formalities

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Some commentators wondered about a two-fingered hand gesture Mr Putin made during the encounter

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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he would 'shirtfront' the Russian President

 

[superbeets]

Arriving in Brisbane on Friday evening, 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.

 

[superbeets]

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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

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Mr Putin was snapped looking questioningly at the other delegates, who were laughing and engaging in friendly and familiar discussions

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Russian President Vladimir Putin was relegated to the outside of the leader's 'family photo' at the Summit

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While many of the world's most influential political leaders appeared to be enjoying their time at the Summit, Putin looked downcast

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Mr Putin was snapped looking disinterested and visibly yawning throughout Saturday's official proceedings

 

[superbeets]

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.
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 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.
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.

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Outside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre where the Summit was held, the Russian President faced a hoard of protesters

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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

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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

 

[superbeets]

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.
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. '

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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

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Mr Cameron is said to have delivered some stern words to Mr Putin about Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict

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The U.K. prime minister said he told Mr Putin he was at a 'crossroads' and was risking his relationship with other Western countries

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The controversial Russian leader left the leaders' summit on Sunday afternoon, returning to the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane's CBD to address his country's travelling press

 

[superbeets]

'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.

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Mr Putin traveled in a motorcade to the airport and boarded his plane immediately following the briefing

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According to a translation, 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

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'The programme of the second day (Sunday) is changing, it's being cut short,' confirmed a source in the Russian delegation

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Mr Putin's plane flies out of Brisbane Airport on Sunday afternoon, taking the Russian President back to his homeland

 

[Michelangelo]

When did Putin start allowing transgendered flight attendants?

 

[Willie99]

ouch, that hurt, I had to grab this railing to keep from falling down

Michelle, come kick his ass

 

[Willie99]

When did Putin start allowing transgendered flight attendants?

that's just a Russian KGB agent

BTW, flew Lufthansa this summer, all the German flight attendants were 6 feet tall, blond and beautiful. It was borderline intimidating

 

[Ricboff]

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.

LMFAO


who writes that stuff?


Putin's shame gene doesn't work.....a recessive allele...


btw beets, what's Paul up to these days? .....

brilliant