WASHINGTON — Faced with a Russian veto, the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday failed to extend its humanitarian operation in northwest Syria, a decision that will halt aid deliveries in the rebel-held territory at a time when needs have spiked.
The 15-member council missed a July 10 deadline to extend the aid mission, which since 2014 has allowed the United Nations to deliver food, medicine and other assistance to areas outside the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. A majority of that aid reaches northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border.
The United States and its allies sought a year-long renewal of the operation. A vote scheduled for Monday morning in New York was delayed as Russia, which sought a six-month extension, and the rest of the council’s members, tried to reach a consensus.
A Swiss and Brazilian-drafted compromise resolution to extend the UN mechanism by nine months was vetoed by Russia on Tuesday morning. China abstained from the vote, and the rest of the council voted in a favor.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the Security Council’s failure to adopt the deal a “sad moment.”
“Russia has not lived up to its responsibility as a permanent member of this council, and it’s beneath the dignity of this body,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Shortly after, the council voted on a rival text put forward by the Russian side, which called for a 6-month aid flow. The draft failed after a majority of the council abstained.
Along with China, Assad’s ally Russia has since 2020 used its veto power to eliminate three of the original four border crossings from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan that were established by the Security Council in 2014.
The Russians argue the cross-border operation is a violation of Syrian sovereignty, and say humanitarian assistance should instead be delivered from inside the country in what’s known as “cross-line” delivery.
But the United States and its allies say cross-line assistance alone is far from sufficient. Since the Feb. 6 quakes, just one cross-line convoy of 10 trucks reached Idlib province from Aleppo. In that same period, more than 3,400 aid trucks reached northwest Syria overland from Turkey under the UN mechanism.
The standoff over Syria’s aid access comes as needs in the conflict-ridden country have reached record highs, exacerbated by a cholera outbreak and the twin earthquakes in early February that left nearly 6,000 dead.
