Russia and France say they will vote against a proposed United Nations Security Council resolution that would open the way to war against Iraq.
French President Jacques Chirac announced his country's intention in an interview with French television.
Hours earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Russia would vote against the US and British-backed draft because it contains impossible demands.
Both France and Russia hold veto power as permanent Security Council members, and a "no" vote from either would kill any chance of the resolution's passage.
Under UN voting rules, if a majority of the council's 15 members reject the measure, the Russian and French votes would count as "no" votes. But if a majority approves the resolution, their "no" votes would count as vetoes.
The White House says it hopes neither Russia nor France vetoes the resolution. Spokesman Ari Fleischer says that a veto would be, in his words, "more than a disappointment."
He said President Bush is phoning world leaders today in a bid to win support for the measure, which would give Iraq until next Monday (March 17th) to prove it no longer has banned weapons, or face military action.