The US on Monday said Russia would put at risk any hope for more constructive relations if it used its UN veto to shut the sole border crossing for aid into Syria.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Italy in hosting talks on the US-led coalition to defeat ISIS, during which he discussed the Bab Al Hawa crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Mr Blinken said in Rome that it was crucial to broaden "cross-border assistance, which is essential in reaching millions of Syrians who are in dire need of food, medicine, Covid vaccines and other life-saving aid".
The crossing is due to close on July 10 without UN authorisation for another year and Russia – which has already succeeded in reducing the border openings to one – has not ruled out using its veto to block an extension.
Russia and Iran are the chief supporters of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who has wrested back control of most of Syria after a decade-long civil war.
They say Damascus should have sole control over aid deliveries.
"What's been made clear all the way from the president all the way down to much lower-level officials to the Russians and to others is that we want to have a constructive relationship with Russia on the areas on which we can work together, and we think Syria ought to be one of them," a senior official who accompanied Mr Blinken said.
"But the test is going to be whether or not we can maintain and expand these cross-border mechanisms.
"If we're not able to work together on this basic human need, that would make it very difficult to work on anything else with the Russians with regard to Syria more broadly."
US President Joe Biden raised the issue when he met Russian leader Vladimir Putin on June 16 in Geneva.
Both presidents voiced hope that the summit would bring more stability to US-Russia relations after months of tension.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last week urged all Security Council members to reach a consensus to preserve the crossing, which allows aid to reach about three million people in the Idlib region.
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
