This week, a pending reparations loan for Ukraine. Pope Leo calls for “another way” to handle situation in Venezuela. New peace agreement between DRC and Rwanda.
A Pending Reparations Loan for Ukraine
The European Commission is discussing providing Ukraine a ‘reparations loan’ with frozen Russian assets. However, in a concession to Belgium’s concerns over the loan, the EU executive proposed an EU loan based on common borrowing as another option.
On December 3, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the two proposals would ensure that “Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength,” as quoted by Jennifer Rankin and Shaun Walker of The Guardian. EU leaders will be asked to decide on the options later in December.
This development comes amidst ongoing US efforts to reach a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which have yet to bear fruit. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, met with Putin in Moscow on December 2 to discuss the US’s revised proposal. Putin aide Yury Ushakov said the meeting was “constructive” although no compromise was reached.
Pope Leo Calls for “Another Way” to Handle Situation in Venezuela
Pope Leo is calling on US president Donald Trump to find “another way” to deal with the situation in Venezuela. This development comes amidst tensions between the US and Venezuela over Trump’s accusations of Maduro running a “narcoterrorist” cartel flooding the United States with drug, and threats to expand the US’s military actions in the country. In recent months, the US has carried out airstrikes on boats traveling from Venezuela which Trump accused of carrying drugs.
On a plane returning to Rome from Beirut on December 2, Pope Leo told reporters, “I truly believe that it is better to look for ways of dialogue, maybe pressure, including economic pressure, but looking another way to change, if that is what they want to do in the United States,” as quoted by Christopher Lamb of CNN.
New Peace Agreement Between DRC and Rwanda
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a new peace agreement on December 4 at the White House. The deal is meant to advance the United States-brokered peace deal reached in June.
US President Donald Trump said he was confident in both country’s leaders, adding, “We’ll keep these commitments. I know they’re going to keep them and follow through on the agreement and create a much brighter future for the people of their countries,” as quoted by Emery Makumeno, Samba Cyuzuzo, and Bernd Debusmann Jr. of BBC.
Eastern DRC has for decades suffered from fighting between M23 rebels and the DRC government. The government has repeatedly said that any agreement depends on Rwanda ending its support for M23, although Rwanda denies backing the group.
Tina Salama, a spokesperson for DRC president Felix Tshisekedi, told The Associated Press on November 29 that any peace agreement must exclude “any mixing or integration of M23 fighters.”
Despite peace efforts between Rwanda and DRC, violence against civilians has continued in DRC. On November 16, M23 rebels and the DRC government signed a framework for peace in the country’s eastern region.
Still, between November 23 and 24, members of the AFC-M23 executed 12 men between the ages of 20 and 40 under the pretext of collaborating with and/or belonging to the “Wazalendo” militia, Agenzia Fides reported.
Keywords: Ukraine, Russia, Pope Leo, Venezuela, DRC, Congo, Rwanda, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
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.
