- PM's comments spark angry Russian newspaper response
- Comment: Abbott's 'shirt-front' threat to Putin makes for cheap diplomacy
A Russian official has mocked Tony Abbott's threat to "shirt-front" Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit, contrasting the President's judo skills with the Australian Prime Minister's passion for riding bicycles.
And the Canberra embassy's second secretary, Alexander Odoevskiy, confirmed Moscow's position was that Mr Putin still planned to attend the G20 summit. He also pointed out that it may be difficult for Mr Abbott to carry out his threat at next month's Brisbane meeting because a formal bilateral meeting has not even been scheduled.
"I'm going to shirt-front Mr Putin," Mr Abbott said.
The Prime Minister's well-known love of cycling has captured the attention of Russia's Australian embassy.
"I am going to be saying to Mr Putin Australians were murdered. There'll be a lot of tough conversations with Russia and I suspect the conversation I have with Mr Putin will be the toughest conversation of all."
A shirt-front is a front-on charge designed to knock an opponent to the ground. It is commonly used in the AFL.
Mr Odoevskiy told Fairfax Media the comments had prompted him to do some research on what shirt-front meant and "I learned a little more about Aussie Rules football".
"As I understand, this is quite an old fashioned term which is not widely used in the modern day game," he said. "Also, it is illegal."
Russian President Vladimir Putin taken down by a student at a judo master class in St Petersburg.Credit: AP
"Another observation would be that as we are aware at this point, there has not be a request for a bilateral at the Brisbane summit from either side. So we are not sure when the Prime Minister would like to shirt-front the Russian President."
"And finally, I know Prime Minister Abbott is a very keen bicyclist. The Russian President does a lot of judo, which is a type of wrestling."
Mr Putin, a former KGB officer, has a black-belt in judo. Mr Abbott earned two blues for boxing while at Oxford University.
Mr Odoevskiy added that his comments about judo and bicycle riding were personal observations and not a formal response from Moscow. The Russian ambassador is currently in Moscow, he said.
Mr Abbott was one of the most vocal critics of Russia in the days after the MH17 tragedy, sparking suggestions Mr Putin may not come to the summit. But the Russian leader is now expected to make the trip.
Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has endorsed Mr Abbott's threat. Mr Newman does not want Mr Putin to visit Brisbane.
"I think the Prime Minister, as the leader of this nation, he'll make it very clear the views of all Australians and Queenslanders about the appalling crime that was committed and the loss of life amongst our citizens," Mr Newman said.
"That is the thing about Tony Abbott, he has got the guts to do that and I would certainly welcome him making our feelings known to Mr Putin."