Russia Vetoes Even Weaker Security Council Resolution on Syrian Gas Attack

Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have opened an investigation into the April 4, 2017 chemical gas attack that took place in Syria. The resolution had the backing of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Egypt, and Uruguay; voting against were Russia and Bolivia, and abstaining were China, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia.

The resolution had been repeatedly watered down by the United States and its allies in the hopes of winning sufficient approval. Russian sources commented: "Unlike the earlier drafts of the resolution on the alleged incident, the final document did not lay the blame for it on Damascus. It also referred to the incident as the "reported use of chemical weapons" rather than stating that such use did take place as a fact."

Not enough groveling to win Moscow's approval, nonetheless.