French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian officials on Sunday and Monday to coordinate efforts to defeat the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri group.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian officials on Sunday and Monday to coordinate efforts to defeat the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group, his office announced.

"On December 20 and 21 Mr Le Drian will go to Russia to discuss coordination in the fight against ISIL," defense ministry spokesman Pierre Bayle told a press conference Thursday.

The minister's visit is "part of international efforts to reinforce the coalition against ISIL," he added.

After last month's deadly attacks in Paris and the October downing of a Russian plane in Egypt, claimed by ISIL, French President Francois Hollande and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to unprecedented cooperation of their forces in Syria in the battle against the terrorists.

On Thursday, Putin said some of the armed opposition groups that are fighting the ISIL group in Syria are taking advantage of the Russian aerial strikes.