Julie Bishop on Putin encounter: 'so this is what you call a shirt front?'

Julie Bishop has revealed her close encounter with Vladimir Putin, when she had to “shirt front” the Russian President, over Moscow’s involvement in the shooting down of MH17, that killed 38 Australian residents.

It was though, the former Foreign Minister, re-counted, more a “diplomatic button holing”, than a good old Aussie body clash.

Ms Bishop told a Sydney audience how Mr Putin effectively stared her down, and dismissed the rhetorical shirt front.

It came at a meeting of European and Asian leaders, in Milan, in late 2014, after then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, had told the nation he was going to take on the Russian.

Unfortunately for Ms Bishop, Mr Abbott couldn’t attend, and she had to deputise.

She told how, during a brief break in official talks, and without confirmation of a face-to-face, one-on-one meeting, she grabbed a chance to deliver Australia’s official protest.

“I hot-footed it round the other side, and tapped him on the shoulder,” Ms Bishop said.

“We went away from the table and we stood there and he spoke English and understood what I said very clearly.

“We spoke for about ten minutes. I delivered the message to him as forcefully as I could.

“His eyes never left my face. And they are piercing blue eyes.

“Then he said ‘so this is what you call a shirt front?’

“I said it’s more of a diplomatic button holing.”

The Russian strong man was then surrounded by, and led away by his entourage.

“That was an interesting encounter,” Julie Bishop.

Tony Abbott did eventually catch up with Vladimir Putin, at the G20 Summit, in a Brisbane.