Russia and China aborted the use of the power of veto a draft Security Council resolution extending the mechanism for introducing humanitarian aid across the border into Syria for a year.
Thirteen countries voted in favor of the project, which was submitted by Germany and Belgium, and allowed the entry of aid through two border ports with Turkey.
Russia has submitted an alternative draft resolution that would extend the mechanism for a period of only six months, and through one border port with Turkey, the "Bab al-Hawa" port.
In January, the Security Council allowed the transboundary movement of aid from two Turkish crossings to continue for six months, but it dropped crossing points from Iraq and Jordan due to opposition from Russia and China, Syria's two allies.
During the session, US Representative Rodney Hunter described the position of China and Russia as shameful, and praised the draft, although it did not meet the necessary requirements for the delivery of aid, he said.
The American delegate considered that the primacy of Russia and China political considerations on the lives of the Syrians is defective, adding that the one who harms the Syrian people is the regime and its supporters, not US sanctions.
He added that "the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States have humanitarian exceptions, and that these sanctions do not in any way harm the people of Syria, and that the only one that harms the people of Syria and prevents them from obtaining the assistance they need is the Assad regime, with the assistance of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation ".
Lift the sanctions
For his part, the Chinese delegate to the Security Council described the US criticism of his country and Russia for using their veto against the draft resolution as a "hypocritical approach," as he put it, and called on countries that impose unilateral sanctions on Syria to lift these sanctions.
Stephen Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said earlier that the delivery of aid across the border "is vital for the benefit of civilians in northwestern Syria ... lives depend on that."
Last month, Germany and Belgium proposed to reopen the Iraq crossing for a period of six months to help Syria combat the Corona virus, but this was removed from the draft resolution.
Western diplomats said that closing the Iraq crossing would reduce medical aid to northwest Syria by 40%.
In December, Russia and China used their "veto" against a draft resolution that would have allowed the use of Iraq and Turkey crossings for one year. Any decision in support of nine votes needs to be approved without Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain using the veto.