Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that French leader Francois Hollande had suggesting forging an alliance between regime forces in Syria and the opposition Free Syrian Army against the Islamic State group.

"During my last visit to Paris, French President Hollande expressed an interesting idea according to which in his opinion it might be possible to at least try to unite the efforts of the government troops of president Assad's army and the so-called Free Syrian Army," Putin said in televised comments.