Russia on Friday vetoed a UN resolution on extending cross-border aid to Syria from Türkiye as the current mandate is set to expire on Sunday.
The resolution drafted by Norway and Ireland sought a one-year extension for humanitarian aid deliveries from Türkiye's Cilvegozu border crossing to Bab al-Hawa in Syria's northwest.
China abstained in the vote, while Russia's preferred option of a six-month extension with the option of another six months is opposed by other states.
The opposing members believe Russia's proposal creates significant organizational challenges for NGOs on the frontline.
"We need to reach a solution in the immediate term, a solution which renews the mandate for cross-border aid. There is simply no time to waste. The Syrian people are counting on us," Ireland's UN representative Geraldine Byrne Nason said after the vote.
US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield termed it "a dark, dark day" for the Security Council.
"It is unfathomable that one security council member, Russia, put their own political interests above the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people," she said.
In a second vote, Russia's draft resolution was not adopted by the council after it failed to get nine votes in favor. The US, UK and France vetoed the resolution and 10 other members abstained.
Only Russia and China voted in favor of the rival resolution.
Thomas-Greenfield said the US would vote against the resolution, adding that renewing the cross border mechanism for six months fails to give aid workers the assurances needed to sufficiently meet needs on the ground, resulting in needless suffering.
According to the UN, more than 2.4 million Syrians benefit from humanitarian aid delivered through Bab al-Hawa every month.
Last year, more than 9,500 trucks carrying food aid, medicine and goods entered Syria through the crossing.
The UN has been aiding millions of Syrians through multiple border crossings since 2014, but from 2020, the council reduced the entry points to just one, leaving Bab al-Hawa as the only option.
