Australia will work with international partners to exert diplomatic pressure on Vladimir Putin to bring the four charged suspects behind the downing of flight MH17 to justice, with Foreign Minister Marise Payne conceding extraditing them will be next to impossible.

Senator Payne warned the process to hold them to account would be a long one after the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team, which includes the Australian Federal Police, charged the three Russian and one Ukrainian men with murder.