Treasurer Joe Hockey hopes Russia will still attend the G20 summit in Brisbane.
Mr Hockey says nobody knows where the fallout from the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is going.
"The Russians have said they will co-operate with all this - let's find out if they are fair dinkum or not," Mr Hockey told Sky News while on an official visit to New Zealand.
He hopes Russia will still attend G20 meetings, culminating with the expected visit of President Vladimir Putin in November.
"Rarely are great things achieved by excluding people from the conversation," he said.
Ultimately, the decision about Russia's attendance rested with G20 members, not just Australia, he said.
Mr Hockey later clarified his remarks, saying they should not be taken as support for Russia's attendance at the Brisbane summit.
His position was consistent with that of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a spokeswoman for the treasurer told AAP.
Mr Abbott on Tuesday said it was too early for any decision to be made about denying Russia a place at the G20 event.
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