The US, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is blocking UN Security Council resolutions on an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza.
Following a Monday conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Lavrov said that the US “does not want to pass any decisions” that would cause this and stated that Russia welcomed “any steps to stop the bloodshed.”
Lavrov said that Russia abstained from the resolution’s vote, branding the U.S.-sponsored resolution supporting a ceasefire proposal as a “empty piece of paper.” “The United States did not keep any of its promises,” Lavrov declared.
During a one-week truce in November, many of Hamas’s hostages were freed. However, since then, efforts to reach a deal have continually failed, with Hamas and Israel charging one another of making new and unreasonable demands.
Hamas is pushing for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stood firm in his stance that troops must remain on the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
(Africanews)
