Putin: Russia to cooperate with US-led coalition

For his part, Putin said that Russian Federation was ready to work with the French in their fight against terrorists because they have been in a similar position, though he stipulated that he would only cooperate if the US would as well.

“We are all concerned by terrorism”.

Putin made the statement Thursday after talks with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

Hollande said that Assad has no role in Syria’s future, but Putin said that Assad’s forces are the “natural ally” in the fight against ISIS because they have troops on the ground and that Assad’s fate should be determined by the Syrian people.

The French president comes to Moscow with intent to make progress on three priority issues: to prevent Syrian President Bashar Assad from targeting civilians, to focus the airstrikes on IS militants – not the moderate Syrian opposition – and to make progress toward a process of political transition in Syria.

“This is the point of our meeting”, Hollande said, stressing the urgency to reach consensus on forming a broad global coalition.

“As Americans, we stand by our friends in good times and in bad, no matter what”, Obama said during a joint news conference with Hollande at the White House.

Serious consultations would be held with the US on information exchange in Syria in regard to the downing of Su-24, said Putin.

Putin and Hollande also believed that forces fighting the IS and other terrorist groups will not be targeted in both countries’ military operations in Syria, and vowed to support those forces on the common mission.

Russian Federation meanwhile has been accused of harbouring dual aims and also striking anti-Assad rebels to prop up the regime.

Prior to his visit to Moscow, Hollande gained support from Britain, whose premier David Cameron set out his case Thursday for air strikes against ISIS in Syria.

Speaking at a news conference in the Kremlin after his talks with Hollande, Putin said their two countries had agreed to enhance their bilateral cooperation over Syria.

“We are ready to cooperate with the coalition which is led by the United States”.

Putin also said Russian Federation would keep cooperating with the United States and its partners to fight Islamic State in Syria, but that cooperation will be in jeopardy if there are any repeats of the shooting down of the jet.

Von der Leyen said the warship would help protect France’s aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean and the tanker planes could help refuel French warplanes in the air.

In Germany, Merkel’s Cabinet chose to send reconnaissance aircraft, tanker planes and a warship to help in the fight against IS.

With two suspects of the Paris attacks at large, tensions were still high in Belgium on Thursday with the capital, Brussels.

Germany now provides weapons and training for Kurds fighting against IS in Iraq. But authorities lowered the threat level in Brussels to the second-highest level.

The decision still needs parliamentary approval, but it was expected to not meet much resistance by lawmakers.