The UN Security Council will vote today on extending for one year cross-border deliveries of humanitarian aid to Syria's opposition-held areas after Russia demanded changes to the relief effort. <br/><br/>Since 2014, UN aid convoys have crossed the border from Turkey and Jordan without the approval of the Syrian government and are now delivering food to one million Syrians per month, on average. <br/><br/>Russia last month said it was seeking changes to the UN resolution authorizing the cross-border aid operation, arguing that the shipments were not sufficiently monitored and that they undermined Syria's sovereignty. <br/><br/>After weeks of negotiations, Russia, however, appears to have agreed to a one-year extension of the aid operation, diplomats said yesterday. <br/><br/>A unanimous vote at the council on the cross-border aid would mark a rare show of unity over Syria after Russia used its veto power to end a UN-led probe into chemical weapons attacks in Syria. More than 13 million people need humanitarian aid in Syria, now in its seventh year of war.<br/><br/>A draft resolution seen by AFP would allow convoys to cross into Syria until January 10, 2019 and request that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommend ways to strengthen monitoring.