Vladimir Putin Confronted By Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper At G20, Says ‘Get Out Of Ukraine’
Vladimir Putin was confronted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a meeting of the Group of 20 in Australia, with Canada’s leader reportedly telling the Russian President to “get out of Ukraine.”
The world leaders are meeting with an agenda to discuss worldwide economic growth and job creation strategies, but the growing tension between Russia and western nations was the major story. A number of countries have spoken out against Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, including a recent buildup of troops and equipment in a region held by pro-Moscow rebels.
Vladimir Putin has remained defiant despite economic sanctions and a new report from NATO saying that Russia is once again fueling the conflict in Ukraine. He said that Russia is willing to wait out a “catastrophic” drop in oil prices, and that the sanctions go against international law because they are not approved by the United Nations.
But Stephen Harper refused to be intimidated by Putin’s defiance, and at the G20 summit, told the Russian President directly.
After Putin offered his hand, Harper responded, “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 is not the only one who has spoken out against Putin and Russia’s actions. American President Barack Obama has also condemned the actions in Ukraine, and British Prime Minister David Cameron said that if Russia doesn’t back out of Ukraine, “then we could see those sanctions increased. It’s as simple as that.”
But Vladimir Putin seems little concerned with the international opinion on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Amid fears that Russia could invade other neighboring countries with large populations of ethnic Russians, Putin has reportedly threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if the conflict were to go on too long. He has also amassed nuclear warheads in the Baltic region and conducted a number of military maneuvers to test NATO defenses.
