Putin officially responds to Abbott's 'shirtfront' threat

The Kremlin has officially responded to Prime Minister Tony Abbott's vow to "shirt-front" Vladimir Putin at the G20 in Brisbane next month calling the threat "unfortunate".

Mr Abbott made headlines around the world on Monday after declaring he would "shirt-front" the Russian leader over the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

He has since backed away from his colourful choice of words, instead promising to hold a "very robust conversation" with the Russian president.

In its first official response to Mr Abbott's original threat, Mr Putin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskow told the ABC: "We are sorry about these unfortunate statements."

Mr Peskow said the two leaders will get the opportunity to exchange their views at the meeting albeit "preferably in a more diplomatic way".

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was more direct when responding to Mr Abbott's statement.

"If he likes to use sports terms, let him go ahead,” he told US broadcaster CNBC through a translator.

"Mr Putin is quite adept at sports and they could have forceful debates. That said, serious politicians should choose their words carefully."