The US, UK and France are to table a UN Security Council resolution but Russia has already indicated opposition.
The resolution will call on Syria to publicly declare that it has a chemical weapons programme, place it under international control and dismantle it.
But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he had spoken on Tuesday to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who told him that Moscow was not in favour of a binding UN resolution.
BBC News - Syria conflict: US issues warning on chemicals plan
So it appears Assad will continue to get Russia's unconditional support, no matter what he does (or does not do).