UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Russia’s proposal to open humanitarian corridors from the eastern areas of the divided Syrian city to let around 250,00 of trapped civilians flee hostilities was met with skepticism from the West.
"Today, several of my good colleagues from Europe again said that ‘Russia must do this and that’," Vladimir Safronkov told the UN Security Council at an informal meeting. "What do you have to offer? We offered humanitarian corridors, which you declined. What is this policy of inertia?"
According to Safronkov, some 400 civilians and 90 militants used the safe passage routes to leave the battle zone.
Fighting has recently escalated in government-controlled western Aleppo as militants closed in to cut supply routes into the area. Safronkov said Monday’s debates at the UN Security Council were all about the humanitarian crisis in the rebel-held east, while the massive offensive on the western districts was not discussed.