Russian President Vladimir Putin has stolen the spotlight at the United Nations with a swaggering push on the Syria crisis as he tried to shake off Western isolation over Ukraine.

In his first speech to the UN General Assembly in a decade, Putin on Monday called for a broad UN-backed coalition to fight Islamic State (IS) jihadists before sitting down to talks he called "constructive, business-like and surprisingly open" with his U.S. rival Barack Obama.

France on Monday gave cautious backing at the United Nations to a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a "broad coalition" to fight the Islamic State group in Syria.

Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, French President Francois Hollande called such a coalition "possible, desirable, necessary" but said it would have to have "a clear basis, otherwise it would never come to light."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for a "broad coalition" to fight the Islamic State group in Syria, in his address to the U.N. General Assembly.

Putin likened the coalition to the "anti-Hitler" alliance that fought together during World War II and said Muslim countries "should play a key role."

Russia and the United States are expected to take part in Syria peace talks in October, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, Russia's deputy foreign minister said Monday.

A meeting of an international contact group of the "most influential outside players" will "be pushed forward to October after the U.N. General Assembly," deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, quoted by RIA Novosti news agency.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Moscow does not plan ground operations in Syria "right now" but will intensify its support for Bashar Assad.

The Russian leader was speaking on CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" on the eve of a much-anticipated speech to the U.N. General Assembly in which he is expected to defend the Syrian strongman.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Sunday that he was seeking partners to set up a "coordinated framework" to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

"We have proposed to cooperate with the countries in the region. We are trying to establish some kind of coordinated framework," Putin said in the interview with CBS television.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman about finding a solution to the Syria crisis on Saturday, just two days before he is due to address the U.N. on the issue, the Kremlin said.

In a telephone conversation at Russia's behest, the two men "exchanged views on regional security matters, first and foremost, in the context of finding ways to settle the conflict in Syria", a statement posted to the Kremlin's website said.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said the only way to end the war in Syria is to support its existing government in the fight against terrorism, in remarks released Thursday.

In an interview with CBS News "60 Minutes," the Russia leader repeated his view that only the Syrian people can decide if and when to replace President Bashar Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Americans should not think of him as an autocratic "czar" and praised their openness and creativity, in an interview ahead of a trip to New York.

Putin is to meet U.S. President Barack Obama next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, amid renewed East-West tensions after Russia's interventions in Ukraine and Syria. 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will meet U.S. leader Barack Obama during his visit to the UN in New York on Monday, as the U.S. frets about a military buildup by Moscow in Syria.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian news wires that the meeting will go ahead after the two leaders address the United Nations General Assembly.