Snubs, barbs and isolation: Putin rounded on at G-20 summit

President Vladimir Putin was rounded on by Western leaders at the G-20 summit in Australia on Saturday, with the Russian leader warned to “get out of Ukraine” or face further sanctions.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the latest escalation of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 4,000 people have been killed since April. Nonetheless Putin faced a succession of rebukes at the Brisbane meeting, with U.S. President Barack Obama, U.K leader David Cameron and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper contributing in the barrage of criticism.

"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 told Putin at the summit, according to his spokesman Jason MacDonald.

Putin's response to the comment was not positive, MacDonald said in an email, without elaborating. Cameron accused Russia of “bullying a smaller state in Europe” during what he described as a “frank” exchange of views with the Russian leader.

A source in Putin’s delegation told Reuters that the Russian president would leave the summit early, skipping a working breakfast on Sunday, because he needed to return to meetings in Moscow.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov subsequently denied the premature stopping short of the visit: "This is wrong. The president is taking part in all the events."

Western nations have imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Moscow, accusing it of sending troops and tanks to back pro-Russian rebels fighting to break away from Ukraine. Russia denies the charges.

Obama said the United States was at the forefront of "opposing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot-down of MH17" — a reference to the downing of a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held territory on July 17, with the loss of 298 lives. Western governments have held that separatist fighters shot the plane using Russian weapons. Moscow has denied any involvement and rather has blamed the downing on Kiev.

Russian state-controlled TV on Friday broadcast photographs purporting to be satellite images showing a Ukraine fighter jet shooting MH17. The authenticity of the images has not been verified, and some have questioned their credibility.

Outside the summit, Ukrainian Australians staged an anti-Putin protest, wearing headbands reading "Putin, Killer" and draped with the flags of the nations that lost citizens in the MH17 incident.

Meanwhile, inside the conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union was considering further financial sanctions against Russian individuals because of the crisis in Ukraine.

"The present situation is not satisfying," she told reporters. "At present the listing of further persons is on the agenda."

Putin's isolation was evident with his placing on the outer edge for the formal G-20 leaders' photograph. While Obama and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping were met by Australia's governor general and attorney general when they arrived in Brisbane, Putin was greeted by the assistant defense minister.

Despite being under intense pressure, Putin was all smiles, shaking hands with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The host had earlier threatened to "shirt front" — a reference to a physically confrontation during Australian rules football games — Putin over the downing of MH17, in which 28 Australians died.

The European Union has demanded Moscow withdraw troops and weapons from Ukraine and put pressure on rebels there to accept a cease-fire, after the latest fighting wrecked a truce agreed in September.

EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to assess the situation in Ukraine and whether further steps including additional sanctions are needed against Russia, said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. Obama plans to meet European leaders to discuss the matter on Sunday, he added.

Al Jazeera and wire services