The leader of South Africa’s second-largest party to stand down
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen announced Wednesday that he will not run for a third term as leader of the liberal, pro-business party, after months of internal pressure over a host of controversies – including allegations, since cleared, that he used the party credit card for Uber Eats. Steenhuisen, whose party is the African National Congress’ main coalition partner, will continue to lead until the DA’s congress in April. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis appears best placed to replace Steenhuisen, and has said he is “seriously considering” running. The DA joined a 10-party ruling coalition formed after the ANC lost its majority in the 2024 elections for the first time, and his departure could test the group’s stability going forward.
Trump and Petro keep the peace at the White House
After more than a year of trading online insults and threats, Colombia’s outspoken left-wing leader Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump held what the US president called a “terrific” meeting yesterday. Although they continue to disagree about US support for Israel, Trump’s ouster of Nicolás Maduro, and how to tackle soaring cocaine production (Petro favors crop substitution, Trump wants aerial crop fumigation), the detente broadly holds between the US and its closest South American ally. Those good vibes are good news for both sides, but the real intrigue lies ahead: Petro’s presidential term ends in August, and he can’t run again. Trump’s threats have boosted Petro’s flagging popularity, putting his party’s candidate Iván Cepeda atop the polls. Washington would likely prefer leading right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella. As the May election approaches, the political temperature could rise again.
Groundhog Day diplomacy for Russia-Ukraine
It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day for peace talks on the war in Ukraine. Today, the US, Russia, and Ukraine are holding yet another round of negotiations, this time in the United Arab Emirates. Little has changed on the battlefield: Russia continues to barrage Ukraine, while the fate of the Donbas region and postwar security guarantees remain the central sticking points. What has shifted is the political and economic terrain. A poll released Monday by Kyiv’s International Institute of Sociology found that 40% of Ukrainians would support ceding the Donbas in exchange for security guarantees. While not directly comparable, a similar poll by the institute in May 2022 found 82% of Ukrainians believed the country shouldn’t give up territory under any circumstances. Meanwhile, Moscow is sinking deeper into a financial hole: Russia’s budget deficit could nearly triple by year’s end as oil sanctions bite and war spending soars.
