Stephen Harper said to have rebuked Russian president over Ukraine while all Tony Abbott got was a two-fingered salute

The “shirtfront” that was supposed to have been delivered to Vladimir Putin by Tony Abbott appears instead to have been dealt out, at least in verbal form, by ice hockey fan Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada.



At the official greetings for the G20 summit in Brisbane, the Russian president approached Harper with his hand outstretched. Harper reluctantly shook it, then immediately brought up the presence of Russian troops in 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, according to his spokesman Jason MacDonald.



Harper is famously obsessive about the often violent sport of ice hockey, even writing a book on the history of Canada’s national game, in which encounters that equate to shirtfronting in Australian football are common.



Abbott had previously promised to “shirtfront” Putin over the Russian military’s alleged involvement in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, in which 38 Australian citizens and residents died. But in three encounters with the Russian president in six days the Australian prime minister largely seems to have missed his chance.



Abbott and Putin encountered each other for the third time in six days on Saturday at the G20.



As host, Abbott greeted every foreign leader and his exchange with the Russian leader – hugely anticipated by the Australian media – descended to the farcical, with Putin giving a maladroit hand gesture that was liable to misinterpretation.



His awkward point towards Abbott was captured by cameras looking more like an offensive “two-fingered salute” at the Australian leader.



Abbott responded with an index-finger point of his own.



It was not known what words passed between the two men.



Russia’s largest news channel has challenged Abbott to either prove that Russian troops were involved in the disaster or withdraw the accusation.



Abbott has previously said Australia has information suggesting MH17 was destroyed by a missile from a launcher that came out of Russia, was fired from inside eastern Ukraine and then went back across the border.



Pro-Kremlin pundit Mikhail Leontiev – seen as close to the Putin regime – said Abbott should produce his evidence of Russian involvement or withdraw his allegation and apologise.



“You have these pictures, or more, then present them, finally. Place your cards on the table,” he said to Russian news service ORT.

Leontiev said the Russian media should help force the issue to a head. “It is known that at the summit in Brisbane, the Australian prime minister Abbott is threatening to ask our president some tough questions about the Malaysian Boeing. Let us try to help him.”



After an earlier 15-minute meeting on the sidelines of Apec on Tuesday, Abbott said they had a robust discussion. Abbott told the Russian leader of the evidence Australia possessed on the downing of MH17.



Abbott later said of the meeting: “One of the points I tried to make to Putin is that Russia would be so much more attractive if it was aspiring to be a superpower for peace and freedom and prosperity; if it were trying to be a superpower for ideas and values instead of trying to recreate the lost glories of tsarism or the old Soviet Union.”



Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked whether Abbott “shirtfronted” the Russian President, said: “It appears that he did not try.”



Pressure continues to mount on Putin at the G20 over Russia’s belligerence in Ukraine.



The European Union president, Herman van Rompuy, said Europe would consider further sanctions on Russia, beyond the financial, economic and travel sanctions already in place.



“We will continue to use all the diplomatic tools, including sanctions, at our disposal … the EU foreign ministers will on Monday assess the situation on the ground and discuss possible further steps.



“Russia has still the opportunity to fulfil its Minsk commitments to choose the path of de-escalation, which could allow sanctions to be rolled back. If it does not, however, we are ready to consider additional actions.”



In an interview in Russia before leaving for Brisbane, Putin said he would not raise the issue of sanctions with other G20 leaders.



“If the subject is raised I will speak about it, of course, but I am not going to raise these questions for discussion myself. The way I see it, it will be useless. All understand what they are doing, I mean, those who impose the sanctions. What’s the use of drawing attention to this matter or asking for something? It’ll make no sense.”



He said the western powers who had pushed for sanctions on Russia were short-sighted and self-interested. “Today’s world exists within a very narrow horizon of planning, in particular, in the sphere of politics and security. Everybody lives from election to election. This is a very narrow planning horizon. It leaves no opportunities for taking a broader perspective, for looking into a more distant future.”

