Australian PM vows to confront Putin

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday warned Vladimir Putin he will not be able to avoid a "conversation" over the loss of Australian lives in the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine which killed 298 people on board.

Last month Abbott vowed to "shirtfront" the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane next week, although Moscow has yet to respond to his request for a bilateral meeting.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev responded to the rhetoric by saying Putin was a judo black-belt and that "serious politicians should chose their words carefully".

Shirtfronting is an Australian Rules Football sporting term in which a player charges an opponent.

"He won't be able to avoid the conversation, so one way or another we're going to have the bilateral -- whether it's in the corridor or in a more formal setting," Abbott told The Australian newspaper.

However, he said he did not want the G20 to be overshadowed by their rift.