WASHINGTON — The White House issued a sharp condemnation of Russia on Sunday, accusing Kremlin-led forces of killing innocent civilians in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s ongoing civil war.
“After repeatedly delaying the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2401, wඣhich demanded a 30-day cessation of hostilities across Syria, Russia has gone on to ignore its terms and to kill innocent civilians under the false auspices of counterterrorism operations,” the said Sunday.
“This is the same combination of lies and indiscriminate force that Russia and the Syrian regime used to isolate and destroy Aleppo in 2016, where thousands of civilians were killed,” it said.
Russia stalled a United Nations vote on a cease-fire Feb. 23 that would have given a reprieve to citizens of eastern Ghouta, whiꦑch has been under siege in the ongoing civil war since 20𓆏13.
The White House called on As👍sad, along with his backers in Russia and Iran, to halt the military campaign and all🌠ow “unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid to the nearly 400,000 innocent civilians in critical need.”
The statement comes after President Trump and British Prime Minister The✅resa May spoke over the phone Sunday about th🌞e crisis in eastern Ghouta.
“They agreed it was a humanitarian catastrophe, and that the overwhelming responsibility for the heart-breaking human suffering lay with the Syrian regime and Russia, as the regime’s main backer,” a Dow💎ning Street .
♏“They agreed that Russia and others with influence over the Syrian regime must act now to cease their campaign of violenc🅘e and to protect civilians.”