The foreign ministers of the United States and several European countries issued a joint statement accusing Russia of violating a ceasefire in Syria, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "appalled by the chilling military escalation" in the city of Aleppo.
“The burden is on Russia to prove it is willing and able to take extraordinary steps to salvage diplomatic efforts to restore a cessation of hostilities (CoH),” said foreign ministers from France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union in a joint statement on Sunday.
“The outrageous bombing of a humanitarian convoy, the Syrian regime's public denunciation of the CoH, continuing reports that the regime is using chemical weapons, and the unacceptable ongoing regime siege of eastern Aleppo, supported by Russia, blatantly contradicts Russia’s claim that it supports a diplomatic resolution,” it continued, stating that the ministers “call on Russia to take extraordinary steps to restore the credibility of our efforts”.
As fighting in Aleppo cut off water to millions in the city, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon’s spokesperson said he was "appalled by the chilling military escalation” in the city.
Stephane Dujarric told reporters, "Since the announcement two days ago by the Syrian army of an offensive to capture eastern Aleppo, there have been repeated reports of air strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons and advanced munitions such as bunker-buster bombs.
"The secretary-general considers this a dark day for the global commitment to protect civilians."