United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blasted Russia on Thursday for its defense of the Assad regime in Syria and their continuing human rights abuses.
During a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, the representatives heard a report on the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. When the representatives of each member country had the chance to comment, Haley spoke out forcefully against Russia and the Assad regime as she recounted the issues plaguing civilians.
Haley mentioned the use of chemical weapons on civilians, including children, by the Assad regime.
"There is a quieter, slower kind of death occurring in Syria today. It is even more deliberate, more labor intensive and more widespread then dropping chemical weapons from thousands of feet in the air," Haley said. "The Syrian regime is engaged in a purposeful strategy of siege and surrender. Civilians stranded inside are literally kept as prisoners until they die or kneel before the government."
Haley also took up the issue of the Assad regime preventing humanitarian aid from being allowed to civilians.
"First, government forces or their allies surround a city, town or village, they cut off all commercial routes inside and out, then the U.N. requests access to bring relief to the people as food and medical supplies vanish," Haley said. "The U.N.'s mission is a humanitarian mission. They don't care who the people are, whether they are pro-government or pro-opposition, they just want to save human lives. But the Syrian regime doesn't let them."
Haley also said the convoys that do get approvals are often held up at checkpoints and critical supplies and vaccines are removed by Syrian government forces.
"There is no reason I can conceivably think of this to happen. Maybe my colleagues from Russia and other allies of the Syrian regime can help me out," she said.
Haley went further into the raiding of U.N. humanitarian supplies by the Assad regime.
"Children are suffering most of all," Haley said. "Nearly one-third of all war related injuries are to children under the age of 15. But because the Syrian military has bombed all the hospitals in the area they cannot receive professional treatment for their injuries."
Haley turned her attention to what little has recently happened in the U.N. due to Russia.
"I listened to my Russian colleague and he talked about task forces and diplomacy and less criticism of the Syrian regime. Where has that gotten us? It hasn't gotten us anywhere," Haley said. "And then the times where we could actually do something as the Security Council, who's the one member state that conttinues to protect the regime that's keeping this humanitarian assistance from going through?"
Haley said that pressure must be applied to Russia for covering for the regime.
"Because Russia continues to cover for the Syrian regime, Russia continues to allow them to keep humanitarian aid from the people that need it, Russia continues to cover for a leader who uses chemical weapons against his own people, Russia continues to veto and Assad continues to do these things because they know Russia will continue to cover for them," Haley said.
Haley told the other representatives to not fall for Russia's claims that U.N. reports from Syria are false.
"I can tell you the Syrian people don't care about diplomacy, the Syrian people don't care about any sort of task forces, the Syrian people don't care about any of the things we said today. They're just trying to live their very last day," Haley said.