Russian President not welcome here

CALL me old-fashioned, but I don’t think a national leader responsible, even indirectly, for the murder of several dozen Australians is welcome in this country.

The Abbott government should make it so clear to Russia’s Vladimir Putin that he is not welcome here that he is shamed into staying home.

Officially, the list of guests is not up to the G20 hosts to determine. There is something to this.

There is a limit to what even a government as robust as Tony Abbott’s can do diplomatically.

But let’s be clear about the sequence of events here.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 with all the Australians on board was shot down by pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels using weapons the Russians gave them. These weapons were always intended to be used to kill innocent people.

The plan was to kill innocent Ukrainians. Instead they killed Australians among others. There is no circumstance in which this irresponsible and deadly Russian policy was justified.

The Russians committed a crime, and Australians were the victims.

The Prime Minister is right not to sugar-coat this business.

Putin is the author of those policies.

He should not be welcomed into Australia for any reason on any pretext.