Melbourne: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday said that it was too early to decide whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should be barred from 2014's G20 summit to be held this November in Brisbane.
Abbott said the G20 summit was still three months away and hoped that Russia would wake up to itself. "My hope is that, even at this late stage, Russia will wake up to itself," he was quoted as saying in local media.
"(I hope) it (Russia) will realise that what's being done in the eastern Ukraine is destabilising a country which should be free to determine its own place in the world - that Russian-backed separatists are wreaking havoc in eastern Ukraine," he said.
"Everything is on the table. We certainly are looking at tougher sanctions. I think the world is looking at tougher sanctions," said Abbott, who had been highly critical of Putin after the MH17 aircrash over eastern Ukraine that killed 298 people, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.
"We certainly would anticipate tougher sanctions against Russia in the weeks ahead." He further confirmed Australian sales of uranium were also now being reconsidered.
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