Russian diplomat calls Australian leader (Tony Abbott) immature ...

A Russian diplomat today (Oct 14) dismissed the Australian prime minister’s threat of a physical confrontation with the Russian president as immature, warning that Mr Vladimir Putin is a judo expert.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott intends to have a one-on-one meeting with Mr Putin on the sidelines of a summit of the world’s 20 biggest economies in Brisbane next month to demand Russian cooperation with a Dutch-led investigation into the shooting down of a Malaysia airliner in Ukraine by Russian-backed separatists with the loss of 298 lives in July.

Mr Abbott told reporters yesterday he was “going to shirtfront Mr Putin”, using an Australian Rules Football term for a head-on shoulder charge to an opponent’s chest aimed at knocking the opponent backward to the ground.

• Mr Abbott is an athletic 56-year-old former amateur boxer who famously punched his Treasurer Joe Hockey unconscious when they were both Sydney University students decades ago. Mr Putin is a 62-year-old former KGB officer and judo black belt.

Mr Alexander Odoevski, third secretary of the Russian Embassy in Canberra, described Mr Abbott’s threat as unhelpful.

“We consider the recent statements tough talk; we consider it immature,” Mr Odoevski told Australian Associated Press............................AP................http://www.todayonline.com/world/australia/russian-diplomat-calls-australian-leader-immature?singlepage=true
14/10/14
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Related:

• Australia PM says will confront Putin at G20 over downed flight MH17 'murders'...

• Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Friday called Russia's response to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet over Ukraine "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory"....

• Australian PM threatens tougher sanctions against Russia. (If there is "any movement" by Russian forces across the border)

• Australian PM speaks with Putin about MH17 investigation

• Russia can't "wash its hands" off MH17 crash (Australia PM,Tony Abbott)

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• Malaysia Airlines passenger plane reported crashed in Ukraine (with 295 people on board)