Russia on Wednesday objected to the UN Security Council adopting a statement that would have called for a ceasefire in northwest Syria, diplomats said, after a tense closed-door meeting. “Basically Russia said no, which is very painful.”“There is no statement … It was not possible,” confirmed his Belgian counterpart, Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, the current council president. One diplomat said that during the meeting, Russia had angrily criticized Western nations for not understanding its position. The UN envoy to Syria said earlier the country was on the brink of worsening violence after an exchange of fierce threats between key players Turkey and Russia. He called for Syrian forces to retreat behind Turkey’s military posts in Idlib, which were set up under a 2018 deal with Russia designed to hold off a regime advance.

Source: Punch February 19, 2020 19:52 UTC