Russia, China veto UN vote to extend aid to Syria’s opposition-held northwest

Al-Monitor Staff

Jul 7, 2020

Syrian children, who fled air strikes in their hometown, are pictured near tents at an informal camp for displaced people where they live with their families in northern Syria's Idlib province on January 7, 2020. - Displaced Syrians are spending the winter out in the open and non-governmental organisations have appealed for international support ahead of a decisive UN Security Council vote on cross-border aid.
The UN Security Council was to vote on extending humanitarian aid to Syria, including to some of t — Syrian children who fled airstrikes in their hometown are seen near tents at an informal camp for displaced people where they live with their families in northern Syria's Idlib province on Jan. 7, 2020. — OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Russia and China have blocked a proposal at the United Nations Security Council aimed at keeping open two border crossings that channel aid into Syria’s opposition-held northwest from Turkey.

Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict, previously made clear its intent to veto the proposal, despite last-minute hopes the Kremlin might abstain.

According to Reuters, Russia and China want to approve only one aid crossing from Turkey for a period of six months.

The move is bound to worsen the already drastic humanitarian crisis in Syria’s northwest, where more than a million people displaced by the war are struggling with rising prices of food and medicine.

The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Search

Russia, China veto UN vote to extend aid to Syria’s opposition-held northwest

Russia previously made clear its intent to veto the proposal, despite last-minute hopes the Kremlin might abstain.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish

Read By