Donald Trump dramatically CANCELS G20 showdown with Putin to punish rogue Russian leader for refusing to release seized Ukrainian sailors
DONALD Trump has this afternoon dramatically scrapped his G20 meeting with Vladimir Putin to punish the Russian leader for refusing to release seized Ukrainian sailors.
Tweeting while on his way to the G20 summit, Trump called off the much-heralded crisis talks amid the increasing tensions on the troubled Crimean peninsula.
He wrote: "Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin.
"I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved."
The shock news comes just hours after a Russian official said the two leaders would meet to discuss ways to break diplomatic deadlocks over Syria, Iran and North Korea.
However, the Kremlin insider did not mention Russia's latest clash with the Ukraine which has put the Crimea on a war footing.
The one-on-one was scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Argentina, revealed Reuters citing "Kremlin documents".
The showdown - at the Park Hyatt hotel in Buenos Aires - had not been publicly confirmed by the White House before today's cancellations.
Trump had cast earlier doubt over the meeting after Russian forces opened fire on three Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov seizing 24 sailors.
He had said his decision to meet with Putin would be “very determinative” on a report he receives from his team.
Trump is also said to be concerned about Russia's recent aggressive behaviour, not just with Ukraine, but also in Syria.
But White Houses sources are quoted as saying there is emphasis on tackling the issues through "diplomatic channels".
Trump is reportedly keen to avoid any prospect of US military involvement, and wants to frame the Ukraine clash as a regional issue.
US national security adviser John Bolton said earlier this week that if the two did meet Trump would discuss "regional issues" with Putin.
"I think it will be a continuation of their discussion in Helsinki," he said, referring to when the two met for more than two hours.
Twitter suspends account impersonating Russian president Putin
Twitter has suspended an account claiming to be the official English language feed of Vladimir Putin.
The social media platform said it suspended @putinRF_eng "for impersonation based on a valid report we received from Russian officials".
The account was reportedly created in 2012 and posted mainly official links to the Russian leader's public appearances.
It had accumulated nearly one million followers.
Twitter said, after receiving advice from Russian officials, the account breached its impersonation policy.
The policy states: "Twitter accounts portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended".
“Maybe I won’t have the meeting. Maybe I won’t even have the meeting,” Trump had said on Tuesday.
“I don’t like that aggression. I don’t want that aggression at all.”
The Kremlin did not rule out the possibility of talks between Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May at the summit, but noted that such a meeting is not being prepared.
Putin had previously stated that Moscow and Washington need to discuss the future of the New START arms-reduction agreement.
The Russian leader has also said he wanted to tackle the situation around the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
Trump has long stated his intention to withdraw from the INF.
The INF treaty is a 1987 arms control agreement between the US and the Soviet Union – now the Russian Federation.
It eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges of 310-620 miles short range, and 620-3,420 miles, intermediate-range.
But, the INF treaty didn’t cover sea-launched missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Dozhd TV earlier this month: “'The fact that America has become unpredictable lately is no secret to anyone.
“Such unpredictability from the largest country, the most powerful economy in the world, is the subject of deep global concern.”
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