On Sunday, the UN Security Council held an extraordinary meeting to address the rise in violence in Syria. The meeting was initiated by the United States, France and the UK. During the meeting, Western diplomats harshly criticized Russia and Iran, claiming that Moscow and Tehran have supported the Syrian government in prolonging the war.
Despite numerous violations of the ceasefire, politicians and experts say that it hasn’t failed yet. On Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said that the US-Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement is still viable.
The differences that have recently deepened in mutual rhetoric between Moscow and the West may not signal the deterioration of ties between the two parties.
"Such rhetoric looks more like a media performance. But real diplomacy is always cautious and hidden from the public. I wouldn’t say that Russia and the US want to abandon cooperation," Andrei Kazantsev, senior analyst at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, told RBK.
Alexei Malashenko from the Carnegie Moscow Center suggested that the recent events, including the attack on a humanitarian convoy and the rise of violence in Aleppo are only a pretext for the main issue – the fate of President Bashar Assad.
"Russia is again interested in Assad staying in power while the West insists that Assad must go. As for this issue, the situation in Syria is a deadlock," Malashenko said.