"I certainly see it as an important moment in [the US-Russia] relationship," American Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters, referring to the security council vote. Russia had even sent its envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, to Geneva, and the White House sent National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk. Russia's vote on Friday at the U.N. Security Council, where it has veto power, was therefore somewhat of a curveball. Biden administration officials, including on the National Security Council and at the United Nations, had been "fighting" with Russia to keep the crossing open for months, according to a US official. "Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today," said Mark Cutts, the U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.

Source: CNN July 09, 2021 21:11 UTC