WASHINGTON, July 10. /TASS/. The US government is convinced that the a new resolution on Syria, passed by the UN Security Council on Friday, is a result of personal contacts between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, a senior US administration official told reporters.
"It is our strong sense that only leader-level engagement along the lines that took place at the summit in Geneva would have gotten this extension done and this access secured at a time of severe humanitarian distress and need in Syria," the official said. "So, we think that’s quite a consequential action and a genuine impact of the President’s personal engagement and of the summit."
Earlier on Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on cross-border humanitarian assistance in Syria that was drafted through Russia’s and the United States’ joint efforts, for the first time ever. According to Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia, Russia outlined its red lines during consultations on the document. He noted that the final text of the resolution has provisions that were lacking in the original edition initiated by Western nations. So, in his words, the UN Security Council finally passed a compromise. He specially stressed the fact that the resolution envisages the development of humanitarian deliveries across the contact lines.
Friday’s phone call was the first telephone conversation between Putin and Biden after their summit meeting in Geneva on June 16, when they spoke for nearly 3.5 hours. The presidents discussed the current state of and prospects for further development of bilateral relations, issues of strategic stability and international matters.
Before that, the two leaders spoke over the phone two times, on January 26 and on April 13.