Did President Obama Arrive Late To The G20 Dinner To Make A Point?

Peterhof Palace. Wikipedia

Obama Takes His Sweet Time In Arriving For Putin's G20 Dinner -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP

St Petersburg: World leaders have arrived for a dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they would discuss the crisis in Syria, with US President Barack Obama showing up alone and well after the main group.

The main group of leaders led by Putin arrived together at the historic Peterhof palace outside St Petersburg, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande seen talking animatedly at the back of the pack.

But Mr Obama was nowhere to be seen and only arrived at the palace a good half an hour after the rest.

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Update: Belles of the G20 ball and the calm before the storm: Banquet for world leaders offers respite from fraught Russian summit -- Daily Mail

My Comment: Putin is the one who has the reputation of always showing up late .... but never for his friends and/or important events. President Obama is sometimes late .... but never for important events. Tonight was an important event .... he showed up late to snub Putin (that is at least the line that is being used in the Russian media and France's AFP).

As for where the dinner was held .... the Peterhof Palace .... I have done the tour on many occasions, and it is without question one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. If you should ever find yourself visiting the city of St. Petersburg, that it is definitely one of the places that you should visit.

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G20 Summit Opens In St. Petersburg With Syria On Everyone's Agenda

Syria Crisis: Clash Looms At St Petersburg G20 Summit -- BBC

Deep divisions over the Syria crisis are set to be aired at the summit of the G20 group of nations in Russia.

Opening the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Syria would be discussed at a dinner later, despite not being formally on the agenda.

US President Barack Obama has already talked to Japan's leader about Syria, and is pushing for support for military strikes against the Damascus regime.

Russia and China have warned the US not to take action without UN backing.

In his opening remarks Mr Putin told the leaders, gathered in St Petersburg, that some participants had asked for time to discuss "very acute topics of international politics, in particular the situation around Syria".

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More News On The G20 Summit

Syria crisis: Putin greets Obama ahead of G20 talks - live updates -- The Guardian
Syria crisis: G20 summit - live -- The Telegraph
G20 Summit Opens in St. Petersburg -- RIA Novosti
Syria strike set to overshadow G20 summit -- Al Jazeera
Showdown on Syria chemical weapons expected at G-20 summit in Russia -- CNN
World leaders all smiles ahead of G20 summit but tensions over Syria remain -- ABC News (Australia)
Syria overshadows G-20 summit as world leaders meet -- USA Today
Don't attack Syria, world leaders tell Obama at G20 summit -- Haaretz/Reuters
Obama in Russia to Meet World Leaders Amid Syria Tension -- New York Times
Obama Presses Syria Strike at G20 Summit -- Voice of America
Pressure mounts on Obama over Syria at G20 summit -- Reuters
Amid tensions, Obama and Putin put on a happy face during appearance at G-20 -- Washington Post/AP
Barack Obama faces a peeved Vladimir Putin -- The Australian
Obama, Vladimir Putin meet as Syrian attack plan stokes US-Russian tension -- New York Daily News
Obama-Putin Rift Over Syria Widens on Eve of G-20 -- Bloomberg Businessweek
With Smiles, Obama and Putin Greet Each Other -- Moscow Times

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Will There Be A U.S. - Russian Collision At This Week's G20?

Barack Obama And Vladimir Putin Set For Collision Over Syria At G20 Summit -- The Guardian

Russian president signals he will take action if America strikes at Assad as US counterpart admits relations have hit a wall

World leaders will gather in St Petersburg on Thursday for what has transformed into an international showdown with Vladimir Putin threatening to send a missile shield to Syria if the US launches an attack without the authority of the United Nations.

The G20 summit, hosted by Putin, had been expected to focus on the world economy and growth, but will now be dominated by the Middle East crisis, even if the formal agenda remains fixed on the slowdown of growth in emerging markets.

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More News On The Impact Of U.S. - Russian Differences On Syria At This Weeks G20 Summit

Syria dispute set to overshadow G20 talks on economy -- Reuters
Obama-Putin Rift Over Syria Strike Widens on Eve of G-20 Summit -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin set to face-off over Syria at G20 summit -- Belfast Telegraph
Obama to face questions at summit in Russia -- Boston.com/New York Times
Putin, Syria to test Obama in Russia -- Politico
Putin Sets Uncompromising Tone Ahead of G-20 Summit -- Time
Putin's contempt for Obama will drive the G20 summit -- Washington Times
Putin and Obama apart in more ways than one at G20 table -- The Guardian
On eve of G20, Putin set to make big push on Syria -- Christian Science Monitor
G20 Planners 'Tweak Seating Order' to Keep Obama, Putin Apart -- Voice of America
Differences on Syria crisis loom over G20 summit -- Bridget Kendall, BBC

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