Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference following the talks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Moscow, Russia December 22, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday the main part of the battle with Islamic State in Syria was over, according to the state-run RIA news agency.

RIA also quoted Lavrov as saying the key task in Syria now was to “destroy Jabhat al-Nusra,” referring to the al Qaeda-linked group known in English as Nusra Front.