The United Nations finally voted on a resolution calling for a ceasefire Saturday after waiting 3 days to squabble over verbiage on the resolution. Russia only allowed it to pass after insisting the ceasefire wouldn’t take effect for 72-hours. The joint effort delegation of Kuwait and Sweden finally agreed to the Russian demand.

The sponsors, Kuwait and Sweden, amended the resolution late Friday in a last-minute attempt to get Russian support, dropping a demand that the cease-fire take effect in 72 hours. @akhbar https://t.co/fMv4Mk44Vj

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) February 24, 2018

US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley made no bones about her contempt for how Russia had held the process up as hundreds of civilians were bombarded by Russian air power and Syrian artillery. “There is no good reason we shouldn’t have done this on Wednesday”, scolded Haley.

As the vote was occurring, reports of another air strike on Ghouta were reported.

Shortly after the #UN Security Council adopted the resolution demanding a truce, warplanes again struck a town in eastern Ghouta, according to @syriahr.

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 24, 2018

“Concrete agreements” is a clever moving of the goalpost through language by Moscow. Apparently, previous agreements were not “concrete”. Russia has agreed to ceasefires in the past but consistently broke them when negotiating peace under Obama. Most notably during the 2016 US presidential election after they failed to honor a ceasefire after strinking a UN aid convoy trying to get aid into Aleppo. 

If Russia’s past behavior is any indication they will test America and international resolve. How the Trump White House responds will set the tone moving forward on peace negotiations. Resolutions are only words if they are not enforced.

Hopefully, the humiliation of dozens of mercenaries being killed in Deir ez Zor has forced Russia to change it’s calculus in Syria.