A woman wearing a protective mask sits on a chair by closed shops in a deserted street in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, in Syria�s northeastern Hasakah Province, on March 23, 2020, amid measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by AFP)

Russia has lashed out at the United States and its allies for blocking a resolution that called for an end to unilateral sanctions on developing countries amid their fight against the new coronavirus epidemic.

The Moscow-sponsored resolution called for abandoning trade wars and punitive measures against 134 countries, under the banner of the Group of 77 (G-77) at the United Nations, and said no unilateral sanctions should be applied without approval from the UN Security Council at a time when the whole world is gripped by the pandemic.

The resolution was rejected on Wednesday by the US, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.

Reacting to the resolution�s failure, the Russian mission at the UN said the countries that opposed the document clearly demonstrated that their calls for solidarity and providing help to the countries with limited resources in order to combat COVID-19 were nothing more than a propaganda maneuver.

One cannot be helping someone with one hand and smothering them with the other, the Russian mission said.

It said that by rejecting the draft, Washington and its allies had failed to meet the relevant call of the secretary-general, who has called for the easing of sanctions and the removal of obstacles to global efforts to combat the coronavirus.

Earlier in the month, the G-77, including China, called for an end to the unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries amid the global fight to contain the pandemic.

The coronavirus, which can cause potentially fatal respiratory malfunction, has infected 2,596,383 people and claimed more than 180,000 lives worldwide.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy as many countries have adopted severe measures to contain their outbreaks, including imposing lockdowns and closing businesses and borders.

The world economy is expected to see a sharp downturn, and several countries could plunge into recession this year.

SOURCE: PRESS TV