Russia has blocked an effort at the United Nations to condemn air strikes carried out by the Syrian government on cities inside the war-torn Middle Eastern country.
So many Russian amendments were suggested to a Britain-sponsored attempt to win backing for the motion that Britain withdrew the proposal fearing it would be excessively watered down, unidentified diplomats said, Reuters reported.
Russia is a strong backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and has repeatedly blocked moves to condemn the regime in the country's ongoing civil war.
The British proposal expressed "outrage" at Assad's targeting of civilians in an ongoing bombardment of the city of Aleppo, which is being fought over by rebel and government forces, AFP news agency reported.
The Syrian government enjoys total air supremacy in its battle with opposition fighters.
Apart from a brief moment of international unity over the decommissioning of Syria's chemical weapons brokered between the U.S. and Russia, the UN has been deadlocked over how to respond to the Syrian crisis.
Russia has vetoed three Security Council resolutions at the UN condemning the actions of the Syrian regime since fighting broke out in the country in 2011.
The civil war in Syria has claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions, according to UN figures.
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