U.S., Russia clash over Syria at U.N.

UNITED NATIONS — Russia and the Trump administration clashed in a vote at the U.N. Security Council for the first time Tuesday as the Kremlin vetoed a measure backed by the Americans to punish Syria for using chemical weapons.

While the Russians had long signaled their intent to block the resolution, which was supported by dozens of countries, the clash offered insights into the big divisions that remain between the Kremlin and President Donald Trump, who has vowed to improve ties.

Russia and China, two of the five permanent members of the council, blocked the measure. It was the Kremlin’s seventh Security Council veto in defense of President Bashar Assad of Syria over the war that has been convulsing his country for nearly six years.

The U.S. ambassador, Nikki Haley, who has called chemical weapons attacks in Syria “barbaric,” accused Russia and China of putting “their friends in the Assad regime ahead of our global security” in her blunt rebuke of the vetoes.

“It is a sad day on the Security Council,” Haley said after the vote. “When members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people, the world is definitely a more dangerous place.”

Diplomats said that Haley had insisted on putting the measure up for a vote this week, signaling a desire to take a tough stand on Russia.

The resolution, proposed by Britain and France months ago and endorsed by the United States last week, would have imposed sanctions on a handful of Syrian military officials and entities for having dropped chlorine-filled barrel bombs on opposition-held areas on at least three occasions in 2014 and 2015, according to a U.N. panel.

Russia’s envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, defended the veto, calling the resolution “politically biased” and asserting that Russia’s concerns about the draft language had not been addressed. “This is railroading the draft by the Western troika,” he said.

The French ambassador, François Delattre, said he welcomed the solidarity from Haley on the resolution. “The Trump administration has a very clear position that is also our French position, the British position and the position of the majority of members of the Security Council,” he said.

Britain’s ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, said: “This isn’t even about Syria. It’s about taking a stand when children are poisoned.”