Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Syria: Russian UN veto blocks aid deliveries to 3m people

Syria: Russian UN veto blocks aid deliveries to 3m people

Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution reauthorising cross-border deliveries of vital aid into opposition-held north-western Syria. The closure of the last route from Turkey puts more than three million people at risk of starvation. The BBC's Anna Foster has been following one of the last UN aid convoys to be allowed into the country.

Umm Ali carefully boils a pot of water to cook dinner for her seven children. She feeds the fire with scraps of cardboard and rubbish, whatever she can find to keep the flames going. The meal she makes is small and basic, because here at the Al-Sadaqah camp, in the Idlib countryside, supplies are scarce. She's thankful for the food aid she receives, but even that isn't enough.

"Every day the kids go to the landfill to collect aluminium cans, nylon bags and iron. They sell them for a pittance, it's just enough to buy four packets of bread. That's only enough for one meal, our breakfast," she says.

Umm says she's thankful for the food aid she receives, but even that isn't enough. Now those parcels are set to stop altogether.

The UN says the number of Syrians in need is higher now than at any point during the 11-year civil war, as the toxic mix of years of fighting, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have devastated the country's economy. The World Food Programme (WFP) says the cost of food has risen by 800% in just two years.

The huge cross-border operation, which was set up in 2014, only exists because of a UN mandate which allows it to happen without the permission of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's ally.

It was scheduled for renewal in a Security Council session in New York on the morning of 7 July, but as the day went on, the timing persistently slipped. By early evening, diplomats admitted they'd have to move the vote into the next day, which should have been a scheduled holiday for Eid al-Adha.

In the end, there were two votes. The first was on a compromise drafted by Norway and Ireland. It would have seen a six-month extension, automatically renewed for a further six unless a member chose to end the agreement. But that was vetoed by Russia.

Moscow put forward an alternative proposal, a six-month extension that would require active renewal in January 2023. The UK, US and France voted against it, and others abstained.

Umm Ali says her family could not cope without international aid


NGOs have been quick to respond, saying the result is devastating.

Tamer Kirolos, Syria response director at Save the Children, has urged the Security Council to reconvene and reverse their decision.

"Make no mistake, the Council's failure to reauthorise this crossing risks the lives of hundreds of thousands of children - children who have known nothing but conflict and life in camps," he said.

And Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, chief executive of Mercy Corps, said that politics had trumped critical aid for vulnerable Syrians.

"Today the United Nations Security Council failed the people of north-west Syria. Millions of people are left in limbo, not knowing how they will receive life-saving aid as food prices increase, conflict continues and economic stagnation grinds on," she said.

The UN administers aid transfers into the north-west of the country because it lies outside Syrian government control, in the hands of the jihadist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Turkish-backed rebel groups.

The Syrian regime has only facilitated a small amount of what is called "cross-line" aid. That means it crosses the front lines within a country, rather than going over international borders.

This is what Russia has been pushing for as a future solution. Moscow believes President Assad's sovereignty takes precedence and that the job of providing aid should lie in Syrian hands. But WFP food aid that has come via Damascus has fed fewer than 50,000 people. From the hub at the Turkish crossing, the UN and its partners sustain 1.4 million.

For the last two years, Bab al-Hawa has been the only aid route left. There used to be others, allowing lorries to arrive in Syria from Iraq and Jordan. But Russia already used its veto to close them down.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council - along with the UK, US, France and China - it can block any mandate it chooses. Just a few months ago, it rejected a resolution that condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for a withdrawal of troops.

UN staff would check the content of the aid lorries before they crossed into Syria


Exactly a year ago, there were again fears that the Bab al-Hawa crossing would be closed. But this time around the story wasn't only about Syria.

In 2021, last-minute, high-level diplomacy between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, kept the aid route open. But a lot has happened in the last 12 months. US-Russia relations are at their lowest ebb for decades, fractured further by the war in Ukraine.

The fact that the timing of this year's vote in New York kept slipping - because agreement couldn't be reached - highlights how difficult relations between Russia and other Security Council members have become. Just days before Joe Biden's headline visit to the Middle East, it also risks highlighting dwindling US influence in the region, set against increasing Russian sway.

The logistical effort needed to ferry aid from Turkey to north-west Syria is huge. About 1,000 lorries loaded with food, temporary shelters, or vital medicines make the journey across the border every month, and have done since 2014.

In the last few weeks, there have been more than usual. Aid agencies were so concerned about the potential of the crossing being closed that they have been sending extra shipments to build up a small surplus on the other side.

At the Bab al-Hawa crossing, they pass straight through, without being stopped like most other vehicles. When they drive under the golden dome-topped arches of Gate Zero, they are on Syrian soil. Once they arrive at their destination, aid agencies unpack the food and distribute it to displaced families.

This is a long conflict, and many people here have been living in makeshift tents for more than a decade. Children were born here and are being raised here. The tattered canvas tents of the displacement camps are the only home they have ever known.

Umm Ali was one of many Syrians desperately hoping the aid would keep coming.

"Of course we consider it something important and crucial, because we don't have money or work to secure food here," she says.

The future for her, and millions of other displaced families in north-west Syria, is now more uncertain than ever.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
×