Russia remains committed to defeating Islamic State in Syria but does not want to leave a political vacuum, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.
Ms Bishop sat next to her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at a lunch on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sunday.
Ms Bishop told AAP Mr Lavrov had made it clear his country shared Australia's commitment to defeating Daesh, also known as Islamic State.
Part of the driving motivation was that Russia had about 1000 foreign fighters involved in the conflict.
Ms Bishop said Australia recognised - along with other countries such as the US - that the military option "is not the whole solution".
"There needs to be a political outcome in Damascus - all options should remain on the table," she said.
However Ms Bishop said Mr Lavrov had told her Russia had a particular view about the stability of the Assad regime being vital to peace.
"And if you leave a vacuum it could be filled by something worse," she said of the Russian minister's view.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also held talks with Mr Lavrov while Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to have a bilateral meeting with US President Barack Obama on Monday.
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