Putin, stop the aggression against Ukraine!

Western leaders gathered on the Australian continent to participate in the G20 summit in Brisbane announced that they will ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the aggression against Ukraine, and warned that they are ready to impose new sanctions, agencies reported today, reports the BiH news agency Patria. 

British Prime Minister David Cameron met with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her trip to the southern hemisphere to visit New Zealand, where she spoke with Prime Minister John Key.

The main topics of their discussions were strengthening economic cooperation and trade exchange, but the leading Western leaders emphasized that they will discuss the crisis in Ukraine with Putin.

"There is a strong likelihood that we will discuss it (at the G20 meeting on Saturday)," Merkel said, adding that the Minsk agreement, which agreed on a ceasefire in Ukraine, is "not being respected".

"This worries me greatly," Merkel said after meeting with Key, reports dpa.

New Zealand Prime Minister Key said that his country is far from Ukraine, but is concerned that the conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists could lead to instability in Europe, which would again threaten economic growth.

Cameron asked Putin to stop the attacks on Ukraine, and his Australian counterpart Abbott accused the Russian president of wanting to re-establish "the glory of the lost Russian empire".

The leaders of Great Britain and Australia said this before the arrival of the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane and at a time when the West is considering the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Moscow due to the Ukrainian conflict.

In a speech delivered to members of the Australian parliament, Cameron warned Russia that it would face new sanctions if it did not engage in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

"If Russia adopts a positive stance towards Ukraine's freedom and responsibility, sanctions could be lifted, but if it continues to worsen the situation, sanctions will be intensified. It's very simple," Cameron emphasized, Reuters reports.

Abbott asked Putin to "repent" regarding the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight in July in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, which killed 298 people, including Australians.

The West believes that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile, which Moscow consistently denies, pointing the finger at Ukrainian forces.

"Russia would undoubtedly be much better off if it strove to become a superpower in terms of peace, freedom, and prosperity, instead of trying to re-establish the glory of the lost Russian empire or the Soviet Union," Abbott said.

Putin on sanctions: "They affected us, but we have strong reserves"

Vladimir Putin accused the US of undermining the very trade institutions it helped create by imposing sanctions on Russia, which he said was a mistake he hoped would be overcome.

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS before the G20 meeting, Putin stated that the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and the EU due to Ukraine had harmed Russia, but also the global economy.

According to him, asset freezes, travel bans, and measures preventing Russian companies from accessing Western financial markets are not in accordance with international law, as only the United Nations has the right to impose them.

These sanctions are also contrary to the principles of trade agreements and organizations, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) created by the US, he said.

"The US itself created that organization at one point. Now it is grossly violating its principles. I hope that... awareness will eventually prevail and that old misunderstandings will remain in the past."

Putin said he would not mention sanctions at the G20 meeting, which begins Saturday in Australia, as it would be pointless.

While acknowledging that sanctions and falling oil prices have affected the Russian economy, he stressed that Russia's "reserves are large enough".

Summit in numbers

Large-scale summits are a logistical nightmare. Where will everyone sit, what will they eat? A few figures illustrating the two-day G20 summit that will take place in Brisbane on Saturday and Sunday:

The size of the conference center is comparable to that of 24 football fields.

There will be 8,392 chairs in the center.

6,300 delegates and journalists will participate in the event. 

Participants will have the opportunity to choose from 10,000 croissants, and over 25,000 kilograms of fruits and vegetables will be served.

100,000 meters of cables have been laid in the center.