While Syria's President claims his country's crisis is due to western nations supporting rebels fighting his government, the United States, Germany and France say he is blocking the way to a long-term solution.
About a quarter of a million people have been killed in Syria's four and a half years of civil war.
It's caused nearly half of the country's population to flee, with many thousands attempting to reach Europe.
Throughout, Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad has been supported by Russia.
In recent days Russia has faced increased pressure to explain its increased military presence in the country.
Claiming it's focused on countering IS militants in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended his government's involvement.
"If Russia had not supported Syria, the situation in this country would have been worse than in Libya, and the flow of refugees would have been even bigger."
The United States has warned that Russia's backing of President Al-Assad may aggravate the conflict in Syria.
In a telephone call with Russia's Foreign Minister, US Secretary of State John Kerry has stated military action is not the sole solution to Syria's crisis.
"I made clear that Russia's continued support for Assad risks escalating the conflict, and undermining our shared goal of fighting extremism if we do not also remain focused on finding the political solution."
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls insists there can be no political solution without a transition to a new government in Syria.
He says making a deal with Bashar Al-Assad would be a moral mistake.
"We will do nothing to strengthen the regime. The urgency, on the contrary, is to reach an agreement that definitively turns the pages of the crimes of Assad. He is a big part of the problem and he can't be in any case a solution."
Germany's Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen says Russia is welcome to sign up to the US-led coalition of countries fighting IS in Syria.
However she says there must be common consensus among nations of whom to support and whom not to support - a seeming allusion to President Al-Assad.
The minister says in the fight against IS, also known as ISIS, there will be no solution without Russia, Turkey, Iran or Saudi Arabia.
"If we really want to fight ISIS, we need the regional surrounding powers to really stick to that common goal and not to push forward the war in Syria from different sides by only playing their own interests."
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