Foreign ministers meeting in Berlin on Saturday, September 12, to discuss the Ukraine crisis are also likely to touch on the situation in Syria, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said on Friday, Reuters reports.

Spokesman Martin Schaefer, speaking at a regular government news conference, described reports of Russian military action in Syria as an "important" development that was likely to come up on the margins of the meeting.

Germany would welcome more Russian engagement in the fight against Islamic State (IS), Schaefer went on to say.

"I think we would welcome the Russian Federation and the Russian president ... getting actively involved in the fight against ISIS given the dangers arising from Islamist terrorism," the spokesperson said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will host his counterparts from France, Russia and Ukraine on Saturday evening in the German capital.