The announcement of the UN agency comes on Tuesday, June 13, on the eve of the seventh conference of the European Union in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region. More than 13 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. Without this drastic cut, WFP would have been forced to completely suspend its operations in Syria by October, said a statement from the agency. Western sanctions, most notably the US Caesar law, have worsened the situation and prevented an economic recovery despite the end of fighting.