Obama set to discuss his frustration over Ukraine
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PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin yesterday slammed G20 member countries for imposing sanctions on Russia, saying this violated the group’s principles, but said he did not plan to raise the issue at the summit in Australia.
Putin told the TASS state news agency in an interview published ahead of this weekend’s G20 summit in Brisbane that sanctions against Russia violated the G20’s principles and were “harmful.”
“The fact that certain countries of the G20 are imposing sanctions on Russia through the G20, of course, this contradicts the very principle of the G20’s activity ... This also contradicts international law because sanctions can only be imposed through the United Nations and its Security Council,” Putin said.
But he said he would not raise the topic of sanctions at the G20. “Why should I draw attention to this, ask for something? It’s pointless.”
Putin said he would hold bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the summit, where he was expected to face tough questioning from leaders on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.
“We have meetings planned there. With the German chancellor. Lots of different meetings,” Putin said.
Merkel said the Ukraine conflict was likely to be the focus of talks on the sidelines though it was not on the official agenda.
Earlier this week, she ruled out imposing new economic sanctions on Russia but said the EU was considering adding pro-Russian separatists to existing sanctions lists imposed on Moscow.
The G20 leaders summit, which begins today, may see a showdown between Western leaders and Putin, following fresh reports of Russian troops pouring into eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine launch a new offensive in a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people. Russia denies the claim.
The G20 summit is focused on boosting world growth, fireproofing the global banking system and closing tax loopholes for giant multinationals.
But with much of the agenda agreed and a climate change deal signed last week in Beijing between the US and China, security concerns are moving to center stage.
US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said President Barack Obama will be discussing his frustration over Ukraine with a key bloc including Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
“They’ve been key towards sending a shared message to the Russians and the Ukrainian government,” Rhodes said.
News reports that Russian warships had arrived in international waters north of Brisbane also created a flutter.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was unusual but not unprecedented for the Russians to be so far south.
“Let’s not forget that Russia has been much more militarily assertive in recent times,” he said on Thursday. “We’re seeing, regrettably, a great deal of Russian assertiveness right now in Ukraine.”
Merkel played down any threat posed by the warships but joined the leaders speaking out against Putin ahead of his arrival in Brisbane last night.
“What is concerning me quite more is that the territorial integrity of Ukraine is being violated and that the agreement of Minsk is not followed,” she said, referring to the truce accord.
In addition to Ukraine, the crises in the Middle East are threatening to overshadow the economic agenda.
As host, Australia will continue pushing its growth agenda despite growing security tensions. “The focus of this G20 will be on growth and jobs,” Abbott said.
Canberra is pushing for an increase in global growth targets of 2 percent by 2018 to create millions of jobs. Over 1,000 policy initiatives proposed by G20 nations should add around 2.1 percent, the head of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.
Taxation arrangements of global companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon have become a hot topic following investigations into how companies reduce their tax bills.
The OECD has unveiled a series of measures that could stop companies from employing many practices to shift profits into low-tax centres.
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