Russian, French Presidents Agree to Coordinate on ISIL Fight

Putin indicated France and Russia would swap data to help identify ISIL targets in Syria, as opposed to other groups fighting the government in the Arab country.

The two countries agreed to "exchange information about which territories are occupied by the healthy part of the opposition rather than terrorists, and will avoid targeting them with our airstrikes," Putin said.

"The strikes against Daesh (ISIL) will be intensified and be the object of coordination," Hollande said at a press conference after their 90-minute meeting at the Kremlin.

The agreement to focus on ISIL targets was the most concrete progress from the final leg of Hollande's marathon push to weld together a broad alliance to crush ISIL after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris.

But the French leader failed to gain any pledge from Putin over helping the US-led coalition which is targeting ISIL, according to AFP.

Putin is fuming over Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter on the Syrian border and deep splits remain between Russia and the West over Assad's fate.

Hollande reiterated that Assad, a key Moscow ally, "has no place in the future of Syria".

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from various groups, including the ISIL, currently controlling parts of it.

Meanwhile, Russia’s recent aerial support for the Syrian forces has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.

Since late September, Russia has been carrying out bombings against the ISIL terrorists in Syria, after Russia's parliament granted President Putin authorization to deploy the country's air force abroad.