The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has praised Vladimir Putin for “trying to find world peace where he possible can” and chided Tony Abbott for his promise to “shirtfront” Vladimir Putin.
She defended the Russian president against claims he bore some responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down in July over eastern Ukraine, most likely by Russian-backed rebels.
“Vladimir Putin did not pull the trigger,” Lambie earlier told ABC Radio National. “If Putin had had a choice, Putin would have made sure that didn’t happen.”
All 298 passengers and crew aboard the plane, including 38 Australian citizens and residents, died in the disaster.
Lambie called Abbott “extremely immature” for saying he would confront Putin at next month’s G20 meeting in Brisbane.
The prime minister said on Monday he would have a “tough conversation” with the Russian leader when he visited Australia for November’s summit, saying: “I am going to shirtfront Mr Putin – you bet I am – I am going to be saying to Mr Putin, ‘Australians were murdered, they were murdered by Russian-backed rebels’.”
Lambie later elaborated on what she admired in Putin, saying he had just ordered 17,000 troops to withdraw from the border with Ukraine, a sign that he was “obviously listening to the people of Russia”.
The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, also accused Putin of knowing “more about what happened with MH17 than he’s let on”.
The Palmer United party senator said on Tuesday that Abbott and Shorten were acting like “hormone-affected schoolboys trying to out-macho each other on the footy field”.
“The PM is no longer in the school yard,” Lambie told the ABC. “I would suggest the PM start acting like a PM and extend the olive branch out.”
She also praised the Russian premier’s “strong leadership” and “great values”. “I do like Vladimir Putin,” she said.
“He’s certainly doing his bit to stamp out terrorism and you know, I guess you’ve got to pay the man for that.”
Abbott confirmed Putin would attend the summit, which begins on 14 November, after G20 countries agreed “by consensus” that Russia should not be sidelined. “It has to be by consensus and the G20 consensus is that Russia should come,” Abbott said.
