This is a story that has been generating a lot of heat on social media. Here's Buzzfeed's take:
Here's an item from our news desk about a big development concerning Syria on the sidelines of the UN in New York:
World Powers Agree Upon Draft UN Resolution On Syria
A draft UN resolution to be presented to the Security Council that calls for Syrian peace talks to begin in early January has been agreed upon by some 20 foreign ministers who've met in New York.
The draft text, to be voted upon by the UN Security Council later on December 18, was hammered out at a meeting convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.
It calls on the United Nations to bring together representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and moderate opposition groups that have been fighting Assad's regime for nearly five years.
Russia and the West have remained divided over a central issue in discussions of a political transition: the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Moscow and Iran support Assad, while key backers of the Syrian opposition -- including the United States, European nations, and Saudi Arabia -- insist he must leave power.
President Barack Obama on December 18 reiterated Washington's position that as long as Assad is president, Syria cannot be stable.
Speaking in his end-of-the-year press conference in Washington, Obama said there must be an end to the civil war in Syria so that Islamic State militants don't have a safe haven there.
The drafting of the final language in the UN Security Council resolution follows a December 15 visit to Moscow by Kerry in which he met with Lavrov and with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kerry said after those talks with Putin that the United States is ready to work with Russia to destroy the Islamic State group.
He said he and Putin reached "common ground" on which Syrian opposition groups would be invited to participate in the Syrian peace talks in New York.
Kerry said neither IS militants nor the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front would be involved.
Kerry also said he and Putin discussed an exchange of information on the location of antiterrorist operations in Syria.
The Reuters news agency cited unnamed diplomats as saying earlier this week that Russia had indicated it may support Assad's eventual exit at the end of a transition period.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and The New York Times
This came out before the draft UN resolution was approved by the Security Council, but it's probably still relevant:
They've passed the Syrian resolution, but they're still talking about it if you fancy watching the live stream:
And here's our news desk's item on the Security Council passing the UN resolution on Syria:
UN Security Council Approves Resolution on Syrian Peace Process
The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution drafted by the United States and Russia that endorses an international roadmap for a Syrian peace process.
A resolution's text was hammered out at a New York hotel during a December 18 meeting of 20 foreign ministers that was convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.
The resolution calls on the United Nations to bring together representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and moderate opposition groups that have been fighting Assad's regime for nearly five years.
It suggests the peace talks could start as soon as January.
It makes no mention of Assad's future -- with Russia and the West remaining divided in talks of a political transition about the fate of the Syrian president.
Moscow and Iran support Assad, while key backers of the Syrian opposition -- including the United States, European nations, and Saudi Arabia -- insist he must leave power.
Shortly before the UN Security Council vote on December 18, President Barack Obama reiterated Washington’s position that as long as Assad is president, Syria cannot be stable.
Speaking at his end-of-the-year press conference in Washington, Obama said there must be a conclusion to the civil war in Syria so that Islamic State militants don’t have a safe haven.
The drafting by Russia and the United States of the UN Security Council resolution follows a December 15 visit to Moscow by Kerry in which he met with Lavrov and with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kerry said after those talks with Putin that the United States is ready to work with Russia to destroy the Islamic State group.
He said he and Putin reached "common ground" on which Syrian opposition groups would be invited to participate in the Syrian peace talks in New York.
Kerry said neither IS militants nor the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front would be involved.
Kerry also said he and Putin discussed an exchange of information on the location of antiterrorist operations in Syria.
With reporting by Carl Schreck in Washington, AP, Reuters, AFP, and The New York Times
We are now closing the live blog for today. Join us again tomorrow morning for all the latest developments concerning Islamic State.