WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement encouraging a renewal and expansion of cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria ahead of the July 10 expiration date:
“Every six months, the Russian Federation uses its veto at the UN Security Council to threaten the mechanism that delivers critical humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians. The United States works to alleviate human suffering and to protect the innocent, while Vladimir Putin does neither. The cross-border mechanism is a vital lifeline to desperate civilian men, women, and children. We urge all members of the UN Security Council to vote to renew and extend the mechanism for twelve months to prevent humanitarian catastrophe."