The UN Security Council is expected to end its virtual deliberations today on a critical cross border aid mechanism that is set to expire Friday, and there are hopeful signs that Russia will not act on its threats to block access through two existing access points to rebel-held northern Syria that run through Turkey.

A well-placed source with close knowledge of the 15-member council’s negotiations said the Russian delegation had not as yet tabled a counter draft or any amendments to a draft resolution put forward by humanitarian penholders Germany and Belgium that call for extending aid pipelines through Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam on the Turkish border. 

US-led efforts to reopen a third border crossing at Yaroubiyah for aid coming through Iraq to the Kurdish-controlled northeast of Syria have been stymied by Russia, however, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor.

The source said it was too early to say what the final result of the vote would be — as “Russia is quite famous for sliding something in at the last minute” — but that if the current draft holds, "It’s actually a real win.” This is because not only will the Turkish crossings remain intact, but also the term of their mandate will have doubled from six months to 12.