DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin is to walk out of a Group of 20 summit in Australia, an aide said on Saturday, after he faced scorn and scepticism from Western leaders over Ukraine despite venturing to paper over Europe’s deepest chill in relations since the Cold War.

The abrupt decision threatens to upend the annual summit’s focus on revamping the global economy and fixing sores such as the Ebola epidemic in west Africa.

‘The programme of the second day (for Mr Putin) is changing, it's being cut short,’ a source in the Russian delegation told the media, on condition of anonymity, reports The Straits Times.

Putin will attend summit sessions on Sunday, but will skip an official lunch and address reporters earlier than planned, the source said, adding, ‘Lunch is more of an entertainment’.

The source denied that Putin was bowing out under pressure from top Western leaders, who accused him of ‘bullying’ ex-Soviet Ukraine. ‘There were no scandals,’ the source said.

A Kremlin spokesman said earlier on Russian radio, ‘The G-20 summit will be over tomorrow, Mr Putin will certainly leave it, when all the work is completed the president will leave’.

BDST: 2110 HRS, NOV 15, 2014