Russia wins fight to limit aid to Syrian rebels to six months

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, examines aid materials at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria (US Embassy in Turkey/AP)

The Security Council headed towards approval of a UN resolution to extend humanitarian aid deliveries to 4.1 million people in Syria’s rebel-held north-west – after Russia won its demand for only a six-month mandate.

Ireland and Norway, which had sponsored a resolution calling for a year-long extension that was vetoed by Russia on Friday, circulated a new draft on Monday that provides for a six-month extension of deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing until January 10 2023.