After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that Russia and Ukraine are “closer than ever” to a peace deal. Trump had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone prior to the meeting. The positive tone comes after Zelensky said Friday he’s willing to have a referendum on the peace plan and is not ruling out territorial concessions – the Ukrainian leader had previously refused these, in line with his country’s constitution. However, some sticking points remain, including the exact nature of any security guarantees that the US will provide Ukraine – Zelensky said Trump offered 15 years of security. Trump acknowledged that it might take a few weeks to close the gaps. Russia’s demands, meanwhile, remain unchanged.
Next up at Mar-a-Lago: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will sit down with Trump this afternoon. The two leaders will discuss the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, as well as whether to take further actions against Iran. The White House has accused Netanyahu of slow-walking the Gaza peace process.
A UAE-backed separatist group in Yemen accused Saudi Arabia on Friday of carrying out airstrikes against its forces in the oil-rich region of Hadramout, escalating the proxy battle between the two Gulf giants in the country’s civil war. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) had seized Hadramout earlier this month, breaking a long-running stalemate in the Yemeni conflict – one that also involves the Iran-backed Houthi rebels – and undermining efforts by the Saudi-backed government to regain control. The Kingdom refused to confirm that it carried out last week’s strikes, but a Saudi-owned newspaper reported they were intended to send a message to the resurgent STC. Once allies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are now on opposite sides not only in Yemen, but also in Sudan’s civil war and the race to develop artificial intelligence.
Algerians are headed to the polls today to elect their next members of parliament. However, hopes for true democracy look more remote than ever.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.
The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.