Stephen Harper ruffles some feathers ahead of G8 summit in Ireland

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is 'raising a little hell' at the G8 summit in northern Ireland.

On Sunday, just ahead of the 2-day conference, Harper lashed-out at Russian President Vladimir Putin over his unwavering support of Syria's Assad regime.

"I don’t think we should fool ourselves. This is G7 + 1. Let’s be blunt," Harper told reporters when asked about dialogue the other G8 leaders will have with Putin.

"We in the West have a very different different perspective on this situation. Mr. Putin and his government are supporting the thugs of the Assad regime for their own reasons that I do not think are justifiable and Mr. Putin knows my view on that."

[ Related: Putin cast as outlier of G8 on Syria as two days of meetings kick off ]

Putin has been an ally of Assad throughout the Syrian government's 2-year brutal crackdown against its citizens who have been calling for greater political rights and freedoms.

For his part, the Russian President insists that supplying weapons to a ragtag group of rebels — as is being proposed by some of the G8 countries — is unwise.

"One does not really need to support the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies, eat their intestines in front of the public and cameras," he said, according to the Canadian Press, referring to a rebel who was recently videotaped cutting into a dead soldier.

"Are these the people you want to support? Are they the ones you want to supply with weapons? Then this probably has little relation to the humanitarian values preached in Europe for hundreds of years."

The exchange had political analysts in this county wondering aloud why Harper would chastise Putin so publicly.

Norman Spector, political pundit and former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney, tweeted that "the charitable view of Harper's undiplomatic broadside against Putin is that he's doing Obama's dirty work in advance of Keystone decision."

[ Related: Putin says he didn't steal New England Patriots owner's Super Bowl ring ]

On a lighter note, Harper is being chided for drinking a beer.

On Sunday, the Irish Foreign Ministry tweeted a picture of the prime minister and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty at a Guinness brewery.

According to the Ireland's Independent newspaper, the picture — along with others posted on Twitter — has spurred an angry response by an Irish politician.

Dohety added: "Young Irish women are dying from liver sclerosis for Gods sake - real shame."

It looks as if, so far at least, Harper isn't making many friends in jolly old Ireland.

(Photo courtesy of the PMO)

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