(Brisbane ,
Australia ) --- Vladimir
Putin's early exit from a G20 summit in Australia
after an icy reception from world leaders may further stoke Russia-West tensions
and lead to renewed fighting in Ukraine ,
analysts said.
Western leaders
piled huge pressure on the Russian president at the Group of 20 meeting in Brisbane , with host Tony Abbott calling on Putin to
"atone" for the shooting down of Flight MH17 over rebel-held eastern Ukraine and Britain 's David Cameron branding
him a "bully".
Analysts said
Putin's apparent anger at his treatment by his fellow leaders could worsen the
crisis in Ukraine .
"If he is
leaving irritated, just wait for the fighting in Ukraine to intensify,"
independent analyst Stanislav Belkovsky told AFP.
Putin, who prides
himself on his stamina, cited the "need to sleep" and a long flight
home as his reasons for leaving the summit before the final communique was
issued.
Despite the baking
heat in Brisbane , the chill in the air was
unmistakable, with Western leaders threatening new sanctions if fighting in Ukraine
intensifies.
Australian tabloid
The Courier-Mail called Putin "the black sheep of the G20 family,"
while Russian media complained that Western leaders went out of their way to
ostracise him.
"At the G20
Australian hosts tried to humiliate Vladimir Putin in every way possible,"
pro-Kremlin magazine Expert said.
Armed with the
Forbes title of "the most powerful man in the world" and approval
ratings over 80 percent, Putin arrived in Australia with a flotilla of
Russian navy vessels in tow.
He and the West had
not been expected to reach a breakthrough over Ukraine , yet few had expected
hostilities to break out into the open.
In recent years
Putin has stolen the limelight at international gatherings, setting himself up
as an outsider at G8 gatherings as the Kremlin agenda grew increasingly at odds
with Western interests.
But the walkout in Brisbane took tensions to
a whole new level.
Analysts said that
Western leaders' increasingly vocal criticism of the Kremlin's policies and
Putin's abrupt departure indicate that neither side was interested any longer
in maintaining even a patina of civility.
Fyodor Lukyanov,
chairman of the Kremlin-connected Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, warned
that Western criticism might force Putin to harden his position.
"We are
witnessing a further radicalisation of the positions of some Western countries,
first and foremost North America and Australia , which is the summit
host," Lukyanov said on radio.
"There is no
desire on their part to somehow soften this, on the contrary this is spilling
into the public sphere. Well, the reaction is predictable -- Russia will
also harden its stance."
Lilia Shevtsova, an
analyst at the Brookings Institution, said as Russia 's
confrontation with the West grew bigger, Moscow
was becoming increasingly dependent on China .
"An outcast?
Yes, the APEC in Beijing and the G20 in Brisbane confirmed that
Putin had become an outcast," she said on Facebook.
"A dependent
outcast -- world politics does not know a combination that would be more
explosive."
Lilia Shevtsova, an
analyst at the Brookings Institution, said Putin's Russia was showing "all the
signs of humiliation".
"An outcast?
Yes, the APEC in Beijing and the G20 in Brisbane confirmed that
Putin had become an outcast," she said on Facebook.
Going into the
summit, US President Barack
Obama said Russia 's
aggression against Ukraine
was "a threat to the world" and called the shooting down of Malaysian
Airlines Flight MH17 over the rebel-held east of the ex-Soviet country in July
"appalling".
Putin was also
apparently rebuffed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper when the Russian
leader approached him.
"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 ,"
said Harper.
The West this week
accused Russia of sending
fresh military hardware into eastern Ukraine , fuelling fears of a return
to all-out conflict. Russia
denies its troops are on the ground in Ukraine .
"De-escalation
did not pan out. The EU may introduce new sanctions against Russia ,"
said Gazeta.ru.
"Summit G19+1
in Australia ," quipped
a prominent satirical Twitter account in Russia .
Analysts also said
Putin's walkout on the Western leaders would play well with his supporters back
home.
"All the
gestures of the Russian leader are aimed at the so-called Putin majority,"
Konstantin Kalachev, head of the Political Expert Group, told AFP.
He said Putin's
attitude would be interpreted by his backers as: "What does Russia 's
national leader have to talk about with the rotten West?"
Kalachev also
pointed out that by dispensing with diplomatic niceties Putin might be
intentionally setting himself apart from other leaders.
"The more
capricious, the more attention," he said.
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