Tony Abbott’s long-awaited showdown with Vladimir Putin over the MH17 disaster will take place far from the public eye.

The prime minister is expected to have a brief one-on-one encounter with the Russian president on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Beijing on Tuesday.

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The exchange is expected to take place inside the summit venue, far from the media glare.

Mr Abbott made international headlines when he threatened to “shirt-front” Mr Putin over the Russian-backed separatist missile attack that killed 298 people, including 38 Australian citizens and residents, in Ukraine in July.

But he has since toned down his language.

Mr Abbott played down the meeting on Monday, calling it “by no means the biggest” item on his APEC agenda.

“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.”