UNITED NATIONS — Months of wrangling at the Security Council over a resolution condemning Syria collapsed on Tuesday after Russia and China vetoed a measure that contained a weak reference to the possibility of sanctions against Damascus.

Nine nations, including the United States and its Western allies, voted for the measure, while Brazil, India, South Africa and Lebanon abstained.

Russia, whose main ally in the Middle East is Syria, had said it would not accept a resolution that included even a hint of sanctions. The wording had been heavily watered down in the hope of averting the veto.

“This does not support a move toward democracy that we have seen in the Arab Spring,” Gerard Araud, the French ambassador, said after the vote, noting that some members of the Council would try again to get a resolution approved.