The Russian prime minister has entered the fray over Tony Abbott's threat to shirtfront President Vladimir Putin in Brisbane.
Mr Abbott grabbed global headlines for his tough talk ahead of the Russian leader's expected attendance at the Group of 20 meeting next month.
He backed away from the aggressive sports term on Tuesday but insisted he would hold robust talks with Mr Putin over the "murder" of 38 Australians when the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a warning to Mr Abbott during an interview with US television network CNBC.
"If he likes to use sports terms, let him go ahead," he said 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."
Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says Australians will find it difficult to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin to Brisbane's G20 summit next month.
Ms Plibersek says the Russian government's denial of any culpability over the MH17 plane crash is "deeply troubling".
She says it has also failed to use its influence with Ukraine separatists to allow proper access to the crash site.
Her comments follow Prime Minister Tony Abbott's threat to "shirtfront" Mr Putin in Brisbane.
He's since backed away from the aggressive sports term but insists he will hold robust talks with Mr Putin.
Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Abbott's comment was "unfortunate" and he hoped the two leaders could exchange views "in a more diplomatic way".
Mr Putin is yet to officially confirm he is attending the meeting.
However, Mr Peskov said there was "no obstacle" to Mr Putin taking part, and the two leaders would have the opportunity to exchange their views - "preferably in a more diplomatic way".
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