OPPOSITION leader Bill Shorten said he would say nothing to Vladimir Putin if given the chance to address the Russian leader.
Asked what he would say to Mr Putin if he met him at this weekend’s G20 meeting in Brisbane, Mr Shorten said: “Nothing.
“I think this well has been sufficiently contaminated that talking about these matters is not going to resolve it directly at APEC or at G20.
It comes after Tony Abbott told Vladimir Putin to apologise for Russia’s involvement in shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and pay compensation to families of the 298 victims.
Delivering on his promise to personally confront the Russian President over the air disaster, Mr Abbott today told Mr Putin he should follow the “precedent set when the United States paid compensation after it accidentally shot down an Iranian civilian aircraft in 1988.
“The Prime Minister observed that when the United States had inadvertently shot down a civilian aircraft it had duly apologised and made appropriate restitution, Mr Abbott’s spokeswoman said.
“He commended the precedent to President Putin.
However suggestions Mr Abbott would ‘shirt-front’ the Russian President appeared to fall flat.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Russian state news agency, scoffed when asked if Mr Abbott delivered on his promise.
“It appears that he did not try, Mr Peskov said.
The two leaders held a 15 minute meeting about the MH17 disaster on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting in Beijing.
During the meeting, Mr Abbott told Mr Putin he had evidence that Russia had armed the rebels who shot down the aircraft and killed 38 Australians.
Mr Abbott said his intelligence showed “MH17 was destroyed by a missile from a launcher that had come out of Russia, was fired from inside Eastern Ukraine and then returned to Russia, his spokeswoman said.
The PM said the information was “a very serious matter if it was true.
Mr Abbott’s office said Mr Putin agreed “that all relevant information should be provided to the independent investigation and that the investigation should proceed with the full support of the international community.
Mr Abbott said families deserved a “measure of justice for the loss of their loved ones.
But it is not clear if Mr Putin gave any guarantees on an apology or compensation to families.
The Kremlin confirmed the meeting and said both leaders backed a “genuine investigation of the tragedy.
“Both Abbott and Putin spoke in favour of a genuine investigation for the reasons for this catastrophe, speeding up this investigation,
The meeting was the second time Mr Abbott raised the issue after bumping into the Russian President at a luxury gala dinner in Beijing the previous night.
“The Prime Minister raised MH17 and the need to ensure UN resolution 2166 is implemented — in particular the need for investigators to be able to safely and securely access the crash site, Mr Abbott’s spokeswoman said.
The UN resolution, which was proposed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in July, calls for a truly independent investigation into the disaster.
It also demands armed groups at the area controlled by Moscow-backed rebels to provide access to the crash site for investigators.
Mr Abbott started the conversation with Mr Putin ahead of the dinner but it was a very brief and polite chat and nothing was agreed, the PM’s spokeswoman said.
Both meetings were held behind closed doors.
Despite his threat to “shirt front Mr Putin, it was the tough man Russian President who appeared to give the cold shoulder to Mr Abbott when they were seen together.
While it was hardly akin to the threatened AFL-style collision, the body language between Mr Abbott and the Russian President was far from friendly.
Mr Putin turned away from Mr Abbott and the pair barely made eye contact when they were seated next to each other at the first formal leaders meeting on the outskirts of Beijing yesterday.
The pair did little to interact when they appeared together for two group photos with other leaders over the past two days.
Mr Putin confidently strode the front of the pack when the leaders walked to an official tree planting ceremony, chatting animatedly to new Indonesian President Joko Widodo. While Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama walked alongside Mr Putin, Mr Abbott fell behind in the pack.
In a more collegiate meeting, Mr Abbott shared a Remembrance Day commemoration event with New Zealand PM John Key at the Australian embassy. He also held talks with the leaders of Mexico and Korea.