Australia Says Vladimir Putin Attending G20 Summit 'Step too Far'

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted Thursday that if the G20 allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend its next meeting in Indonesia it would be a “step too far,” accusing Moscow of carrying out “war crimes.”

Morrison reaffirmed Australia takes the American view on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that being Putin has committed serious war crimes against the Ukrainian people.

“The idea of sitting around a table with Vladimir Putin, who the United States are already in the position of calling out war crimes in Ukraine, for me is a step too far”, the conservative coalition leader told reporters.

“We know Vladimir Putin’s form when it comes to taking the lives of innocent civilians. I am not shocked by their barbarity. I am not shocked by their arrogance in what they are seeking to impose on Ukraine. And that’s why Australia has been one of the strongest in taking action in relation to Russia”, Morrison insisted.

Although Morrison was reluctant to completely write off the G20, he suggested Australia will not boycott the event even though his government condemns Russia, the Australian Associated Press reports.

Morrison did reveal Australia is working with other G20 nations to look at barring Russia from the summit even as China has said it will not be backing the call, once more placing Canberra and Beijing at loggerheads with each other.

“We want to make sure that the G20 for Indonesia is successful and we want to work closely with Indonesia as our partner. We want it to focus particularly on the challenges of our region in the Indo- Pacific … [but] we need to have people in the room that aren’t invading other countries”, Morrison asserted.

Australia has announced a ban on exports of alumina and bauxite to Russia on the 20th of March, as part of their sanctions efforts against the rogue state, and has also claimed to have sanctioned 476 Russian individuals and institutions since the 24th of February when the invasion began.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Marise Payne has also suggested expelling the Russian ambassador from Australia “remains a live option on the table for this government.”

“At the same time, it is potentially useful to have direct lines of communication with, in this case, the Russian government … we’re working with partners we always do to determine the best approaches,” Payne said.

“It’s a lesson to all authoritarian regimes … that there is a cost for unilateral action such as this, in this case, the illegal invasion of a country like Ukraine”, Payne continued highlighting the sanctions placed on the former Soviet nation.

Putin has attempted to sidestep sanctions by announcing “unfriendly nations” must pay for Russian gas in roubles, in an effort to protect the Russian currency.

This move may prove to be effective as key European Union leader German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned if Germany – who currently imports 55 percent of its natural gas from Russia – was cut off from Russian gas, “hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk, [and] entire industries would be on the brink.”