Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Russia will not back a UN resolution on Syria.
Britain, France and Germany have been pushing for the UN Security Council to condemn Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been using tanks and troops to crush the dissent.
"I will not back this resolution even if my friends are going to beg me to," Medvedev told a news conference at the Skolkovo School of Management near Moscow.
"It is sad that these resolutions can be manipulated," he said.
Russia also abstained from supporting resolution 1973 which authorized air strikes to protect Libyan civilians against forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi.
SKOLKOVO, May 18 (RIA Novosti)