Ukraine crisis overshadows G20 summit

The ninth G20 summit opened on Saturday in the eastern Australian city of Brisbane with a traditional indigenous smoking ceremony and dancing performed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders.

Opening the meeting, host Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he hoped the summit would convey "a message of hope and optimism."

Earlier, Abbott had called on the leaders at the meeting - who include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, United States President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin - to "be open with each other," suggesting that the use of first names would help in this aim.

Although Australia had voiced hopes that the two-day summit would focus on global economic growth, the current conflicts besetting several regions of the world seem likely to force the issue of global security onto the agenda.

Overriding issue

Above all, the crisis in Ukraine continued to dominate politicians' comments ahead of the meeting, with many condemning Moscow for its alleged support of a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, US President Obama accused Russia of "appalling" aggression against Ukraine, saying it posed a threat to the world.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who is also attending the summit, told a news conference that "Russia must stop the inflow of weapons and troops from its territory into Ukraine, and Russia must withdraw those already present," adding that further EU sanctions against Moscow were possible.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has added his voice to the chorus of verbal attacks on Moscow, slamming it for "bullying" Ukraine, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the crisis in Ukraine was "not sustainable for world peace."

A Kremlin spokesman later said Russian President Putin and Cameron had "expressed an interest" in rebuilding relations between Russia and the West during closed-door talks in Brisbane.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Ukraine conflict, which has claimed more 4,000 lives since it began in April.

Obstructed investigation?

Putin has also come under pressure for his handling of the investigation into the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in July, in which 298 died, including 38 Australian residents.

Kyiv and many Western countries have accused the pro-Russian rebels of having downed the plane with the help of Russian weaponry, something both the separatists and Moscow deny, instead blaming the incident on Ukrainian forces.

Abbott drew considerable media attention a few weeks ago with his assertion that he would "shirtfront" Putin over the crash - using an Australian Rules football term for an aggressive front-on- body check.

Climate policy

Talks in Brisbane will also cover economic and environmental issues, with Obama spending a large part of his speech before the summit appealing for action on climate change.

Obama pledged a $3-billion (2.39 billion-euro) US contribution to a fund to help mitigate the effects of climate change on poorer countries.

Australia, although one of the countries most adversely affected by global warming, had been reluctant to put the issue on the summit agenda after abolishing a tax on carbon emissions.

The United States earlier this week signed an ambitious climate deal with China on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

'Bullying' accusations

On the economic front, Obama said his country would renew its commitment to its Asia-Pacific pivot in comments that seemed indirectly aimed at China, which is involved in a longrunning maritime dispute with Japan and building up its military strength.

Obama insisted that the security order in Asia should not be based on "coercion or intimidation," urging instead the formation of "alliances for mutual security."

tj/glb (Reuters, AFP, dpa)