Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally locked in a formal face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, after a number of false starts.

The October 20 bilateral with the US president in Washington was confirmed by Mr Albanese during a doorstop on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

The confirmation also came as Australia's Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd earlier told those attending a speech by Mr Albanese in New York that it was on and that Australia was "delighted".

Mr Albanese stressed that Mr Trump had agreed to a meeting "some time ago".

"We had another chat about it on the phone and we'll have a meeting in Washington DC on October 20," he told reporters.

The prime minister has been battling for formal face time against other world leaders aft

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