China, Russia Veto Extending Syria Aid Routes Into Turkey

West seeks two crossings, Russia says only one needed

Russia and China both vetoed a UN Security Council vote on Friday that was meant to guide cross-border aid transfer into Syria. The previous version of this authorization expires Friday night.

This was yet another East vs. West vote at the UN Security Council, reflecting the split on the future of Syria, and there was more to this language than initially meets the eye. At issue was the number of border crossings from Turkey into Turkey-controlled Syria.

Because Syria is still fighting Turkish-backed rebels, Syria’s allies would like to see the opportunities for cross-border shenanigans minimized, and that means keeping aid limited to just one crossing. The UN mandated two in their bill, which is why Russia and China vetoed it.

Western officials, who are pro regime-change, uniformly supported the UN plan, and followed up the veto by loudly condemning Russia for the humanitarian impact that the veto might conceivably have. They emphasized the risk of Covid-19 in Syria, and suggested not enough is being done for the health care system.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.