‘Shirtfront’ row takes another turn as Dmitry Medvedev tells Australian leader that Putin is ‘adept at sports’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned Tony Abbott that politicians need to “choose their words” carefully following the Australian prime minister’s promise to “shirtfront” Vladimir Putin.



In a comment very similar to Russian embassy officials, Medvedev raised the Russian president’s sporting prowess, though not specifically his black belt qualification in judo.



“If he likes to use sports terms, let him go ahead”, Medvedev told CNBC. “Mr Putin is quite adept at sports and they could have forceful debates. That said, serious politicians should choose their words.”



The comments come as Abbott’s comments continued to run on news sites and social media. On Monday, the prime minister threatened to “shirtfront” Putin over the downing of the MH17 plane when the two men attend the G20 summit in Brisbane next month. Abbott has since recast his language, saying he intended to have “very robust” conversation with Putin.

In Canberra, Russian embassy official, Alexander Odoevskiy welcomed Abbott’s change of tone to language more appropriate for diplomatic conversations.

He also said the embassy had received emails and phone calls apologising for Abbott’s remarks. Odoevskiy questioned the view put by opposition leader Queensland premier Campbell Newman, opposition leader Bill Shorten and various media outlets that ordinary Australians did not want Putin to visit Australia.



“I doubt that it is the general Australian view that Putin is not welcome,” Odoevskiy said.



“We hear a lot from Campbell Newman and Bill Shorten and the leadership that Putin is unwelcome but from the messages and conversations with ordinary Australians, that view is not shared by the general public.”

