Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Putin Leaves G20 Summit in a Huff

The G20 summit in Australia ended with, at best, a mixed bag of results. The leaders of the member nations agreed to boost economic growth (who opposes this?), address climate change, and reduce tax avoidance schemes among them. However, the 800-pound bear in the tent was the isolation of Mr. Putin's Russia over the Ukraine. His plane left Brisbane before the final communique. The tantrum and the harsh words that provoked it will change nothing, though.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported, "Mr Putin explained he left early because he wanted to be rested before returning to work. He began a half-hour news conference by praising his host, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for providing a 'nice, welcoming and good working atmosphere. On Monday I must go to work. I hope to have four or five hours to sleep,' Mr Putin said before leaving Brisbane. 'I told this to Tony and he was very understanding, so I didn't give it a second thought'." That may be true, but given what he heard about his nation's actions in Ukraine, there is another, valid interpretation.

The same paper noted, "The US, Australia and Japan issued a statement condemning Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper reacted to an offer of a handshake from Mr Putin by responding: 'I guess I'll shake your hand, but I have only one thing to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine'." When one has the Canadian being brusque, one has clearly gone too far.

Meanwhile, British PM David Cameron stated, "This is going to be a test of the stamina political will of the United States and the EU. I think we will meet that test. We are very clear with Russia that the continued destabilisation of Ukraine is simply unacceptable. If Russia continues to destabilise Ukraine there will be further sanctions. There is a cost to sanctions, but there would be a far greater cost to allow a frozen conflict on the continent of Europe to be maintained. President Putin can see he is at a crossroads."

As for others, President Obama, he said, the US was adamant about "opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot-down of MH17." Germany's Angela Merkel added that the EU was considering deepening sanctions against certain Russian individuals. She said, "The present situation is not satisfying. At present the listing of further persons is on the agenda."

So, while the Kremlin can say all it wants that Mr. Putin decided to get a nap in on the way home, it is just as valid, perhaps even more so, to argue he got a bit tired of listening to complaints and wanted to get back into the bubble in which he resides. One doubts he ever hears the words, "No, Mr. President" while on Russian soil.

The fact is that the situation in Ukraine is not going to change until Mr. Putin decides that he has had enough. The sanctions under which his nation labors don't really compare with the popularity that taking Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts away from Kiev have brought him. He has made the calculation that bending to the desires of other nations will not benefit him at home as much as telling them to eff off will.

Indeed, leaving early was just another way of telling them that. And if he slept through it, it hardly mattered.

© Copyright 2014 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.



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