Tony Abbott has defended not holding talks with key economic leaders in Washington and New York this week amid claims he has deliberately snubbed them after initially checking their availability.

Talks with International Monetary Fund boss Christine Lagarde and head of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim, which have been a staple for visiting Australian leaders, remain in doubt after Mr Abbott's office said a busy schedule was making things hard.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sword Beach for the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Credit:Jake Nowakowski

The response from Mr Abbott's office follows a report by Laurie Oakes that were was ''consternation'' among Canberra bureaucrats because Mr Abbott had decided against meeting three of the top economic figures in Washington. The report said Mr Abbott's office had cast doubt on meetings that had been fixed in the diaries of US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Ms Lagarde of the IMF and the World Bank's Dr Kim.

It is now understood Mr Abbott will keep his appointment with Mr Lew, while the two other meetings are undecided.