French President Francois Hollande met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as part of his ‘diplomatic marathon’ to create a ‘grand coalition’ to combat ISIS militants who control swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. The drive by the French President began following multiple ISIS terror attacks that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured in the French capital on November 23.

In televised remarks from the Kremlin, the French leader said: “Our enemy is Daesh, Islamic State, it has territory, an army and resources, so we must create this large coalition to hit these terrorists.” Hollande said he was in Moscow to see how the two countries could act together in order to “coordinate efforts to strike this terrorist group, but also reach a solution for peace.”

On his part, Putin said that Moscow was ready to unite with Paris against the “mutual enemy” following the downing of the Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31. “We grieve with you over the losses that France suffered, these are major losses,” said Putin. “You know that Russia has suffered serious losses as a result of the heinous terrorist act against a civilian aircraft. All this forces us to join efforts against a common evil.”