Vladimir Putin will be welcome at this year's G20 summit in Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says, despite the Russian President being shut out of G7 talks.
Mr Putin was meant to host the heads of leading industrialised nations at a summit of the G8 in Sochi this week.
But the G7 nations scotched those plans in protest against Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in March, and the leaders of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan held their summit in Brussels without him.
While Mr Abbott shares serious concerns over Russia's role in Ukraine, he said there was no indication Mr Putin would not be invited to the G20 summit in Brisbane in November.
"The G20 is an economic meeting whereas the G7 or G8 has tended to have a very strong security component," Mr Abbott said from France ahead of Friday's 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
"Obviously there are very grave concerns about the behaviour of Russia in Ukraine and I can understand why G7 leaders were reluctant to sit down with President Putin at this time.
"But when it comes to the prosperity of the world, when it comes to the management of international finances, when it comes to harmonisation of taxation rules, when it comes to trying to promote global growth, I think it is best if we can include Russia.
"So at this point in time, I'm expecting Russia to be well and truly be part of the G20 in November."
Mr Putin will join a host of world leaders gathering in Normandy for the D-Day commemorations.
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