US opposes Russian plans to fight Islamic State in Syria

The US will refuse to negotiate over a draft statement that Russia is planning to present at the UN Security Council, diplomats have said.

The Russian plan seeks to bolster its position on Syria ahead of a major gathering of world leaders and urges countries to fight extremist groups "in coordination with the governments of the affected states".

The language can be seen as a reference to Syria's regime, which Russia supports.

Russian military shipments to Syria have alarmed the US and its allies in recent weeks, and President Vladimir Putin is expected to defend them in a UN speech on Monday.

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to meet at the sidelines of Monday's UN meeting to discuss the situations in Syria and Ukraine.

Sheba Crocker, the assistant US secretary of state for international organisation affairs, confirmed that the US told Russia it couldn't support its proposed statement on Syria.

"We have concerns that a council presidential statement could be perceived as endorsing an approach that could set back efforts to reach a negotiated political transition in Syria," Crocker told reporters in Washington.

Crocker said the draft was at "significant variance with the ongoing efforts of a coalition of more than 60 countries, including all of Syria's neighbours to counter IS".

It is not clear if the meeting will take place before or after President Putin speaks at the UN, correspondents say. The Russian leader is also due to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday.

Relations between the US and Russia nosedived after the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014. The move led to the US and other Western countries imposing sanctions on Russia amid allegations that it was fanning the insurgency in east Ukraine by providing troops and arms.

Russia has strongly criticised the sanctions, describing them as a naked attempt to force President Putin from power.