Russia says West ‘politicizing’ humanitarian crisis in Syria

“This meeting was essential in order to move forward on the Geneva talks, and there are issues still, and very much at stake, that’s why I needed to consult them”, he said.

Many people in the town of 40,000 have been struggling to survive amid a siege by government forces, with some reportedly forced to eat leaves and pets. The U.N. Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday confirmed cases of severe malnutrition among children in the town.

Singer said the two boys’ bodies “were skeleton-like”. All were now receiving treatment.

Aid reached Madaya on Monday for the first time in months and a United Nations official described seeing malnourished residents, some of whom were little more than skeletons and barely moving.

“All sides – including the Syrian government, which has the primary responsibility to protect Syrians – are committing this and other atrocious acts prohibited under worldwide humanitarian law”, he told reporters.

The three Western Security Council members called for the open debate to intensify the pressure on Syria’s warring parties to lift sieges that have cut off 400,000 people from aid. The plight of the worst affected town, Madaya, has appalled aid workers and prompted calls for the RAF to conduct aid drops.

“We can not allow this to happen”, he said.

Humanitarian aid was also delivered on Monday to government-held villages of Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province which are besieged by rebel forces.

The UN said the next aid delivery would take place on Sunday.

Russian Federation began its air strike campaign on what it said was the Islamic State group and other rebel groups in Syria on 30 September, a month after the agreement was signed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United States Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to meet in Zurich on January 20 for talks on Syria and Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said Thursday.

With the development of Russia arming Hezbollah, selling Iran sophisticated weapons, building Iranian nuclear plants, and building up its forces in the region, President Vladimir Putin has re-established a Russian presence in the Middle East that is not going away anytime soon, at the expense of the interests of the United States.