The G20 summit, hosted by Putin, had been expected to focus on the world economy and growth, as the the official G20 website states that "Russia believes that discussion on all the interconnected issues of the G20 agenda is organized around three overarching priorities, aimed at starting the new cycle of economic growth", but now everything will be dominated by the Middle East crisis, even if the formal agenda remains fixed on the slowdown of growth in emerging markets.
During a pause in Sweden before the conference Barak Obama, denied his political authority was at stake but stated that affairs with Russia had hit a wall. He insisted he had not set the red lines requiring a military response if the Syrian government deployed chemical weapons.
"The world set a red line when governments representing 98% of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons was abhorrent and passed a treaty forbidding their use even when countries are engaged in war," he said. "That was not something I just kind of made up, I did not pluck it out of thin air."
He added: "My credibility is not on the line. The international community's credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important.
More up to date information can be found: http://t.co/fCTmPCAr2Z, or follow #20 hashtag on Twitter.
