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Russia has vetoed UN Security Council Resolution 2585, designed to extend the operation of the last border crossing through which international humanitarian aid is transferred to northwestern Syria. The Bab al-Hawa crossing, located on the Syrian-Turkish border, is the main lifeline to the Idlib region, home to some 4.4 million people, of whom 2.8 million are displaced from their homes and live in conditions of hunger and abject poverty.

Since 2014, four border crossings have operated in international aid efforts to Syria, not proceeding through the regime in Damascus. In 2020, Russia and China vetoed the operation of three of the four crossings, claiming that they violated the sovereignty of the central government in Syria, thus effectively leaving the Bab al-Hawa crossing the only crossing for humanitarian aid.

In the current vote, Russia submitted a draft of a competing proposal, which includes extending the border crossing by only six months, but this was rejected as inadequate. Thus far there has been no agreement on the extension, and if the members of the Security Council fail to approve an alternative proposal, the current mandate will expire and humanitarian aid to Syria will cease.

There is much significance to the event, on a number of levels:

1. The effect of the war in Ukraine: Beyond the economic impact on the Middle East (rising prices, wheat shortages, and more), the worsening relations between Russia and the US in light of the war are already affecting the region and largely stand behind the Russian veto of the decision, thereby challenging the Americans. In addition to humanitarian aid, the war effect further reduces the likelihood of the US and Russia compromising and cooperating even on more fundamental issues related to a settlement in Syria. The current event in Syria illustrates how the inter-power interest outweighs the regional one in the contemporary international order.
2. Reduced American attention to Syria: Last year one of the main issues in the Syrian context that troubled Joe Biden, the new US President, was the humanitarian situation. The issue of extending cross-border activity was discussed in his first meeting with Putin in June 2021 and was preceded by massive diplomatic efforts by senior administration officials. These efforts paid off and Russia refrained from casting a veto. Despite the importance the administration attaches in its statements to the humanitarian situation in Syria, this time it is clear that no diplomatic moves or significant statements have been made by US officials regarding the issue.
3. Another expression of the cruel Russian-Syrian alliance: Assad seeks to establish sovereignty over Syria at all costs, even another humanitarian catastrophe in the country, and receives full backing from Russia. Since the outbreak of war in 2011, Russia has vetoed more than 15 Security Council resolutions on human rights violations, the use of force against the civilian population, and the use of chemical weapons. Experts warn that following the current decision, food supplies to Idlib will end in September, leading to hunger and poverty in the area and possibly even another wave of refugees.