The White House has confirmed it has booked a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for next month.

Albanese will have to make a special trip back to the US for the October 20 date.

After months of questions, the White House confirmed on Wednesday (AEST) that the first face-to-face talks would finally take place.

It came after Trump did not fit Albanese into his itinerary while both were in New York for the UN General Assembly this week.

Albanese said both sides had been working on a meeting for some time, and he had not expected to meet Trump this week.

He will attend a reception hosted by Trump and US first lady Melania on Wednesday morning (AEST) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Albanese is expected to get a handshake with Trump at Wednesday’s gala dinner. No further engagement between the pair is guaranteed.

Australia was left off Trump’s official schedule this week. It does include bilateral meetings with the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey.

Some analysts suggest the federal government’s decision to formally acknowledge Palestine may have contributed to the snub.

Others say missing out may be a blessing in disguise.

No formal meeting this week could actually be “the best-case scenario”, Perth USAsia Centre chief executive Gordon Flake said.

He said meetings with Trump were often transactional and coercive, and could be risky for Albanese.

“With the world on fire, I think there are other bigger priorities we have than just a one-on-one with President Trump,” Flake said.

“I understand anxiety about … not yet having a leader-to-leader summit, but at the same time, if you begin to ask the question ‘what do you want from the summit?’, I think we’re in a pretty good position.

“There’s no abiding, immediate crisis that we’re trying to solve.”

On Wednesday, Albanese will also speak at an event showcasing Australia to global investors, focusing on Labor’s multibillion-dollar suite of “future made in Australia” policies.

The opposition has been highly critical of Albanese’s failure to secure a meeting with Trump. It argues the pair have important issues to discuss, including Trump’s sweeping tariffs and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.

“It’s not good that over 30 world leaders have had physical, face-to-face meetings with the US president and our Prime Minister hasn’t,” opposition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said.

-with AAP