BRISBANE, November 15 (Sputnik) — No blunt statement against Russia has been made on the first day of the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, a spokesperson from the Russian delegation to the summit said.
"In common discussions, the question was not directly addressed. There was no brightly expressed remark. I can say that in a number of cases some forecasts and expectations, including those by the local media, were unjustified and unsubstantiated," the Russian delegation spokesperson told reporters.
When asked about the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the global economy, the spokesperson said that geopolitical risks were discussed, though they did not pertain to a specific region.
The Russian delegation, headed by President Vladimir Putin, arrived in Brisbane on Friday to attend the ninth G20 summit. Before the start of the summit, the western media anticipated Russia would come in for heavy criticism by the summit's western participants over allegedly being involved in the internal crisis in Ukraine. The summit, however, has so far proved to be another platform providing an opportunity to join forces against global challenges.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far had meetings with a number of leaders, including the prime ministers of Italy and the United Kingdom. The meetings were marked by mutual understanding to ameliorate the relations between Russia and the West that have gone downhill since the eruption of crisis in Ukraine, with several rounds of sanctions currently being in force against Russia.
