Abbott to hold meetings with Putin and Obama at APEC

Vladimir Putin has agreed to a formal meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who will also sit down with Barack Obama at the APEC summit in Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at last year's APEC summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will meet with both US President Barack Obama and Russia's Vladimir Putin at the annual APEC summit in Beijing.

The Kremlin has confirmed that the Russian president will hold formal talks with Mr Abbott but says the meeting "will be short".

President Obama will speak with Mr Abbott on the sidelines of the leaders forum starting on Monday, where regional heads aim to clinch a pan-Pacific trade deal.

The president will also meet Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo for the first time, the White House said.

Australia has long sought a face-to-face meeting with Mr Putin, the first since Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down over east Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.

While much has been made of Mr Abbott's plans to "shirt-front" the Russian president at the G20 in Brisbane over the downing of MH17, the pair will encounter each other first in Beijing.

Mr Putin's top foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov confirmed to reporters that Moscow had agreed to a meeting on Tuesday in Beijing.

"It will be short," Ushakov said.

The APEC summit marks the beginning of a whirlwind week of diplomacy for Mr Abbott, who will also visit Myanmar for Asian security talks before returning to Australia to host the G20.