The second European Union-United Nations Syria Donor conference has closed in Brussels. 85 countries pledged over 4 billion dollars in aid for 2018. The UN calls it a good start but not enough. It says donor pledges for addressing the humanitarian crisis in Syria have come up short -- after the United States declined to offer any funds. Mariam Zaidi reports from Brussels.

Delegates from across 85 countries descended on the EU capital for the second and final day of a United Nations and European Union joint donor conference for Syria.

Last year, at the first such gathering- pledges by the EU and international donors totaled more than five-and-a-half billion dollars. The U.N.estimates that Syria needs nine billion dollars in humanitarian and development assistance for 2018. Not just for Syria, but for those border countries involved in the conflict.

SAAD HARIRI LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER "We're asking for enough money to make sure host communities can sustain refugees. And at the same time, some humanitarian aid, especially for refugees."

But this was more than just a donor summit. Delegates also pressed for a political resolution to the Syrian conflict through U.N.-led peace talks in Geneva. Russia and Iran - supporters of the Assad government did participate, but neither the Syrian government or opposition was represented.

STAFFAN DE MISTURA UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA "We were not expecting a breakthrough on the political side, but we did not have a confrontation, and they were all there in the room. Remember, one week ago, we were on the brink of a very serious crisis. It was the closest moment to what one could say a very tense Cold War."

FEDERICA MOGHERINI EU FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF "There would be a direct interest in Moscow as well as Tehran - and I limit myself to those two capitals - to identifying ways to contribute positively to a political solution."

But the conference wrapped up with some disappointment. Pledges fell short. One of last year's biggest donors - the U.S.- declined funding.

CHRISTOS STYLIANIDES EU COMMISSIONER FOR HUMANITARIAN AID "We must not let down the people of Syria. They are not alone. I am glad to announce that delegations here today have made a collective pledge of 4.4 billion U.S. dollars for 2018. Moreover, for next year and beyond, we have pledged 3.4 billion."

MARIAM ZAIDI BRUSSELS "Isn't it something? It's not much but it's something. Those were the words of EU Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini, commenting on the fact that Iran, and Russia - countries that support Bashar al-Assad - were able to sit around a table with those who don't so soon after U.S.-led airstrikes. In essence, that summed up the mood of the Syrian donor conference. As world powers remain divided on Syria's political future, a safe and humane future for the most vulnerable remains in the balance. Mariam Zaidi, CGTN, Brussels."