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."

U.S. President Barack Obama insisted Monday that the sanctions Western powers imposed on Moscow in the wake of Russia's intervention in Ukraine were meant to protect Kiev's sovereignty not trigger conflict with Moscow.

"We cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated," he said, addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday took a swipe at Russia and Iran for backing what he called "tyrants" like Syria's Bashar Assad but declared in his address to the United Nations that he was ready to work with them to end the conflict.

Obama took the podium at the U.N. General Assembly ahead of President Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani, with the spotlight firmly on ending the carnage in Syria.

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.

Republican firebrand Donald Trump has promised to scrap taxes for America's poorest and offer healthcare for all if elected president -- paid for by renegotiating the NAFTA accords and picking a trade fight with China.

The Republican presidential frontrunner and billionaire businessman promises to unveil Monday what the national economy would look like under a President Trump.

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.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched a new coalition to battle the Islamic State in Syria on Sunday, as he prepared to confront U.S. rival Barack Obama at the United Nations.

The dramatic diplomatic gambit underlined how Russia has seized the initiative on Syria, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to express his concerns.

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.

Russia and other nations could get sucked into a proxy war in Syria if there was no political solution to the crisis, British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said Sunday.

Speaking on the opening day of the main opposition Labor Party's annual conference in the seaside resort of Brighton, the newly-elected veteran socialist called for urgent action.