Mr Abbott had previously stated that he would “shirtfront” President Putin over the disaster, which killed 38 Australians.
Addressing media in Beijing on Monday afternoon, Mr Abbott said that he would be “looking for an assurance” that Russia would cooperate with investigations.
“It wasn't a tragedy - it was an atrocity, it was a crime and Russia has said that it will do everything to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
“Good on Russia for saying that, and I will just be looking for an assurance from the President that what they said then, they meant, and what they said then is still what they say now.”
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has criticised Mr Abbott’s backdown, saying the families of victims deserved answers.
In a statement issued on Monday, Mr Shorten said he was concerned that a “brain snap” from Mr Abbott could compromise negotiations with Russian authorities.
“There’s been a lot of tough talk from Tony Abbott when it comes to President Putin, but now he seems to be singing a different tune,” he said.
“I don’t think families ever wanted Abbott to threaten to shirtfront Putin, they just wanted their Government to be doing everything it can to get all the information it can from the Russians.”
