(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Western leaders warned Vladimir Putin at a G20 summit yesterday that he risked more economic sanctions if he failed to end Russian backing for separatist rebels in Ukraine.
Russia denied any involvement in an escalation of the separatist war in eastern Ukraine, where more than 4,000 people have been killed since April, but faced strong rebukes from leaders including US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"I guess I'll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine," Harper told Putin at the summit in Brisbane, Australia, according to his spokesman Jason MacDonald.
Putin's response to the comment was not positive, MacDonald said in an email, without elaborating.
A source in Putin's delegation said that the Russian president would leave the summit early, skipping a working breakfast today, because he needed to return to meetings in Moscow.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any such plans.
Western nations have imposed sanctions on Moscow, accusing it of sending troops and tanks to back pro-Russian rebels fighting to break away from Ukraine. Russia denies the charges.
The measures are squeezing Russia's economy at a time when falling oil prices are straining the budget and the rouble has plunged on financial markets.
A reporter saw an unidentified 40-vehicle column of military vehicles, including personnel carriers and artillery guns, travelling across separatist territory toward the rebel-held city of Luhansk in Ukraine yesterday.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said seven soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours, while the press service for the 'Donetsk People's Republic' said six civilians were killed in shelling on Friday.
Obama said the United States was at the forefront of "opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union was considering further financial sanctions against Russian individuals because of the crisis in Ukraine. "The present situation is not satisfying," she told reporters. "At present the listing of further persons is on the agenda."
Putin's isolation was evident with his placing on the outer edge for the formal G20 leaders' photograph. Obama and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping were met by Australia's governor general and attorney general when they arrived in Brisbane, but Putin was greeted by the assistant defence minister.
Despite being under intense pressure, Putin was all smiles, shaking hands with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
A Kremlin spokesman said the Ukraine crisis was the only topic discussed at a meeting between Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron, but he added both expressed interest in "ending confrontation" and rebuilding relations. Putin also met French President Francois Hollande, and both agreed to protect their ties from the effects of sanctions, the spokesman said.
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