This week, Trump holds off on meeting with Putin after Russia rejects frontline freeze. DRC and Rwanda meet in Washington to revive peace efforts. Trump envoy discusses peace prospects in Libya and Sudan.
Trump Holds Off on Meeting With Putin After Russia Rejects Frontline Freeze
US President Donald Trump is holding off on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia rejected Trump’s call on October 21 to freeze the current frontline in the Russia-Ukraine war. Eleven European leaders signed a joint statement saying they “strongly support” US President Donald Trump’s position that “the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov communicated that Russia opposed an immediate ceasefire.
Trump said that he would hold off on a meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, because he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.” The Associated Press reports that Trump’s hesitancy to meet with Putin came as a relief to the European leaders who signed the statement. The leaders have accused Putin of stalling for time while he works to gain more ground in Ukraine.
The leaders, including the British prime minister, French president, and German chancellor, oppose any pressure on Ukraine to give up land that Russia has captured in return for peace, as Trump has recently suggested.
DRC and Rwanda Meet in Washington to Revive Peace Efforts
Representatives from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda met in Washington on October 21 and 22 for the third session of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JCSM), established as part of the peace agreement signed on June 27. The meeting aimed to evaluate how to further advance the agreement’s implementation. The two countries were joined by the United States, Qatar, and the African Union Commission.
Previous meetings had concluded with both sides agreeing to a ‘Concept of Operations’ (CONOPS), which outlines steps toward military and security cooperation. Building on the CONOPS, the parties laid out a framework for neutralizing the Rwandan Hutu rebel group the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
JCSM members made plans to monitor progress and deal with challenges, and confirmed the fourth JSCM would be held on November 19-20.
This news comes after, on October 14, the DRC and M23 armed group agreed to establish an international group to oversee the ceasefire they agreed to in July.
Trump Envoy Discusses Peace in Libya and Sudan
US President Donald Trump’s senior envoy Massad Boulos discussed peace prospects in Libya and Sudan, Business Insider reported on October 21.
When discussing the need to stabalize Libya, which has been unstable since the assassination of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, Boulos said “We think it’s achievable.” Although he acknowledged that peace processes cannot be “implemented overnight,” he also said, “I hope that this process moves fast.”
While discussing the humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, Sudan, which has been under siege since April 2023, Boulos said that lifting the seige and negotiating a ceasefire was a “top priority.”
Keywords: peace, Russia, Ukraine, DRC, Congo, Libya, Sudan, peace talks, conflict, conflict resolution, Putin, Trump
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
