Russia and China have used their veto power against a draft UN Security Council resolution that was an attempt at the last minute by Western council members to extend approval - which ends Friday - for the introduction of humanitarian aid to Syria from two border crossings with Turkey over the next six months.
The draft won approval from 13 of 15 countries, but it was dropped due to Moscow and Beijing resorting to the veto for the second time in three days.
The 15-member Security Council is divided among itself, with most council members standing against Russia and China, two Syrian allies, who want to reduce the number of border crossings to one crossing, saying that humanitarian aid can reach those areas from inside Syria.
It was the third time that the council had failed to vote on this issue and the second time that Russia and China had used their veto within a week.
The United Nations says millions of Syrian civilians in the northwest of the country depend on humanitarian aid entering through Turkey, which the world body has described as a "lifeline."
The Security Council authorized for the first time the process of entering aid to Syria across the border six years ago, which also included the possibility of aid reaching Jordan and Iraq. These crossings were cut in January due to Russian and Chinese opposition.
On Tuesday, Russia and China used their veto against an attempt to extend approval for the two Turkish passes for a year. The remaining 13 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution prepared by Germany and Belgium.
On Wednesday, Russia failed to obtain sufficient support for its proposal to agree to a single crossing for six months.
The council is now expected to vote on a second Russian draft resolution to agree to deliver aid from one Turkish crossing for a year.
However, given that the council operates via closed-circuit television during the Corona virus pandemic, council members have 24 hours to vote, so no decision will be known until Saturday.
On the other hand, the European Parliament agreed on Friday to allocate approximately 600 million euros (680 million dollars) in humanitarian aid to support Syrian refugees in neighboring countries.
Turkey won the lion's share of that money, as European Parliament deputies gave the green light to give 485 million euros to it to ensure the continuation of urgent humanitarian aid to the refugees.
This money comes in addition to the € 6 billion for refugees promised by the European Union, Turkey, as part of a 2016 agreement to limit the flow of migrants to the bloc countries.
"The European Union will support refugees in Turkey, as long as the humanitarian needs persist," said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Linares.
In the same vote, the European Union Parliament also approved a support plan for refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon in the amount of 100 million euros.