... deliver staff and equipment to Syria but Russia might seek to get things back to normal;
Moscow might seek the U.S. to turn a blind eye on Damascus re-establishing economic and business ties with the northeastern Syria exempted from the U.S. sanctions;
Russia is always pushing for the lift of unilateral sanctions on Syria;
Moscow might be interested in establishing a similar mechanism for Ukraine – delivering UN humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine from Russia. Given the humanitarian needs there, Russia may be open to such an “exchange of CBMs”.
That said,...
... that Damascus is ready for constructive dialog with humanitarians, including on the topic of cross-line delivery within the country. Given that the only remaining border-crossing Bab al-Hawa will be functional just for one year, the UN, together with Russia, Turkey, the U.S. and Europe, should start discussions on ways to deliver humanitarian aid once the crossing is no longer functional.
Elena Dovgan:
The Impact of Sanctions on Human Rights
It seems that Moscow is going to push for closer engagement with the Syrian government, which will be opposed by the U.S. and Europeans. They have their own legitimate concerns about working with the Syrian government, which proved to lack transparency in aid distribution and impose significant limitations and obstacles ...
