Russia, China Veto UN Resolution to Impose Sanctions on Syria

Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons during the six-year war.The veto issued by Russia on Tuesday was the seventh time in six years that it has used its permanent seat on the UN Security Council to shield Bashar al-Assad. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the draft resolution on Tuesday as “totally inappropriate”. ABC reported that Russia argued that the resolution – drafted by Britain, France and the US – would harm UN-led peace talks between the warring Syrian parties in Geneva, which began last week. Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, said, “It is a sad day in the security council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people.” She added, “They turned away from defenseless men, women and children who died gasping for breath when Assad’s forces dropped their poisonous gas.” Meanwhile the Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons in the war that has killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced almost half the country’s population since 2011.