Story highlights
- Western countries have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using sarin
- In his speech, the British ambassador blasted the Russians for supporting the Assad regime
New York (CNN)Russia vetoed a UN resolution Wednesday that would have required Syria to cooperate with investigators and face full accountability after a brutal chemical attack in that country.
It's the eighth time Russia has vetoed a proposed Security Council resolution on Syria.
The resolution, crafted by the United States, United Kingdom and France, was circulated to the 15 member countries of the Security Council on Tuesday.
Western ambassadors blasted Russia earlier Wednesday for continuing to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his alleged use of sarin on a rebel-held area of his country.
UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft accused Assad by name at a planned morning session on Syria.
"We've met over the horror, hoping Assad has reached his depths, and yet every time, he's plunged to new lows," he said. The Syrian people "have suffered six years of ever-escalating barbarity, over six years of failed ceasefires, and over the years, Russia has held us ransom for the Assad regime."
However, the Syrian envoy to the UN Bashar Ja'afari dismissed as "lies" and "accusations" the notion that his country used "a chemical weapon we do not even possess."
