Russia FM in Syria to Discuss Rising Violence

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Damascus for talks with Syrian president Bashar Assad on Tuesday.

The visit comes after Russia and China blocked the United Nations Security Council resolution vote that would have officially condemned the government-led violence in Syria and called for Assad's resignation.

The U.N. resolution would likely have little effect on Assad's plans or tactics. Assad has disregarded at least two peace deals from the Arab League in recent months, and has shown no willingness to give up power.

Nonetheless, France called Russia's veto a "scandal," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip said it was a "fiasco," and the vote proves that Russia still has a vested interest in its allegiance with Assad.

On the morning of Lavrov's arrival, Syrian troops resumed mortar and machine gun attacks on Homs. There were also reports of tanks approaching the city. The tanks, like most of Syria's arms, were Russian-made.

The assault on Homs has run continuously since Friday and hundreds of people have reportedly been killed. On the day of Russia's veto, 230 civilians were killed in what the opposition Syrian National Council called an overnight "massacre."

Lavrov hopes that the talks will curb the rising violence in Syria. Russia has maintained that the bloody situation can be mediated through Moscow-sponsored diplomacy.

The United Nations estimates that at least 6,000 people have been killed in Syria since protests began last March.