President Joe Biden will seek to stave off another surge of civilian suffering in the devastating war in Syria when he meets President Vladimir Putin this week. Biden on Wednesday is expected to urge Putin to drop his threat to close the last aid crossing into Syria. The crossing serves millions of civilians displaced by Syria’s more than decade-long war. Many in the international community say closing it could spark a humanitarian disaster and a destabilizing surge of more Syrian refugees into neighboring Turkey. Russia will hold the key veto on July 10 when the U.N. Security Council decides whether to extend authorization for the aid crossing.
