UK PM Stresses Importance of Urging Russia to Influence Assad to Stop Violence

According to the UK prime minister, it's important to urge Russia to use its influence on the Syrian president to stop the ongoing atrocities in Aleppo.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The UK government is doing everything possible to stop violence in Syrian Aleppo, still it is important to urge Russia to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop the ongoing atrocities, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

"The government is pressing hard, is doing everything that we can in relation to this… There is an important message to send to Russia that they actually use their influence with the Assad regime to stop these appalling atrocities in Aleppo and let humanitarian aid through," May said at the House of Commons meeting.

May called the situation in Syria "appalling," adding that the United Kingdom would press for cessation of hostilities and providing access for humanitarian aid to Aleppo at the UN Security Council.

"The United Kingdom has been working with France to bring forward an emergency discussion on this issue at UN Security Council that will take place later today. We want to see a cessation of hostilities, we want to see an opportunity for humanitarian aid to have access to Aleppo, and we will be pressing for that at the Security Council," the prime minister said.

The situation in Aleppo has been seriously deteriorating over the recent months. Thousands of civilians are trapped in the terrorist-besieged eastern parts of Aleppo with no access to food or water. There have been several attempts to establish a ceasefire, however the bids have failed.

The Syrian civil war is ongoing since March 2011, with different countries, regional powers and terrorist organizations such as Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (previously known as al-Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia, involved in the conflict.