Russia vetoes Syria resolution to establish gas attack inspections

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have required an expansive investigation of the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The resolution demanded “all parties [in Syria] cooperate fully” with international investigators, providing detailed instructions on the “unfettered access” that President Bashar Assad’s regime would have to provide. Russia vetoed the resolution, despite President Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov’s repeated calls for an investigation of the attack, which they argue might not have been carried out by Assad.