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A photovoltaic power station with a capacity of 0.8 MW covers an area of more than 3,000 square metres at the industrial site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025.

Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM

The US-Ukraine minerals deal is finally done

Two months after their infamous White House fight, the US and Ukraine announced on Wednesday that they had finally struck a long-awaited minerals deal.

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Members of the M23 rebel group stand guard at the opening ceremony of Caisse Generale d'epargne du Congo (CADECO) which will serve as the bank for the city of Goma where all banks have closed since the city was taken by the M23 rebels, in Goma, North Kivu province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, April 7, 2025.

REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi

Does the Congo truce portend peace? Or a potential civil war?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and an alliance of militias led by the notorious M23 rebels announced a ceasefire on Thursday after talks in Qatar and, after three years of violence, said they would work toward a permanent truce. Meanwhile, Congo will reportedly sign a broad declaration of principles on a minerals deal with Rwanda on Friday in Washington, DC. The UN, US, EU, and other governments accuse Rwanda of using M23 to control valuable mines in Congo, but Washington is in the midst of talks with Congo to secure access to those same minerals, for which a deal with Rwanda is a necessary first step.

M23 recently seized the two principal cities in northeastern Congo, Goma, and Bukavu. At least six previous ceasefires in the long-running conflict have failed, turning hundreds of thousands of people into refugees and exposing them to violence, hunger, lack of shelter, and pervasive sexual exploitation.

Poorly trained and equipped Congolese troops have proven ineffective at fighting the rebels, and UN peacekeepers in the region are widely distrusted — even hated — by locals. A South African-led multinational force that held Goma for over a year was surrounded and pushed back in January; by March, they had completely withdrawn.

With Congo’s military situation in such disarray, a truce may be President Felix Tshisekedi’s only option, but his former ally-turned-archrival Joseph Kabila is proving a thorn in his side. Kabila, who ruled the DRC as president from 2001 to 2019 before going into exile in 2023, has reportedly been spotted in M23-controlled Goma. He has long accused Tshisekedi of mishandling the M23 situation — and we’re watching whether he uses this opportunity to launch a play for power.

Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, pictured here at the anniversary event of the departure of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2022.

REUTERS/Ali Khara

US-Taliban relations thaw amid race for Afghanistan’s mineral riches

The Trump administration has dropped multimillion-dollar bounties on senior Afghan officials from the Haqqani network, a militant faction that carried out some of the deadliest attacks on American troops but has now positioned itself as a moderate wing within the Taliban government.

The “largely symbolic” move this week came days after the US sent its first major diplomatic mission to Kabul since the Taliban took power in 2021, securing the release of an American citizen detained for the past two years.

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- YouTube

Can Europe broker a Ukraine ceasefire?

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: A Quick Take to kick off your week. The big news, everything around Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and Europe. The Europeans now with the ball in their court, a big summit, a coalition of the willing in London this week. And Zelensky very warmly embraced, quite literally, by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and by everyone in attendance. It was very different visuals, very different takeaways than the meeting between Zelensky, Trump, and Vance in the Oval Office, which couldn't have gone much worse if everyone tried.

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- YouTube

What Trump-Zelensky fallout means for Ukraine war

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: A Quick Take after a very historic day, yesterday, President Zelensky meeting President Trump, Vice President Vance. That meeting, in the White House, was a disaster, at least for Zelensky, a disaster for America's NATO allies. For the last three years, Republicans and Democrats together have supported the Ukrainians and Zelensky in response to Russia's illegal invasion and occupation of a large part of that country. The US has also been in lockstep with its NATO allies, with the Europeans, with the United Kingdom, with Canada, in that support for Ukraine. That has now decisively broken.
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- YouTube

Why the US-Ukraine minerals deal changed

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: AQuick Take on Ukraine, the United States and Ukraine. Donald Trump and Zelensky now have a preliminary agreement on a critical minerals deal. Remember this is the deal that originally President Trump had the secretary of treasury show up in Kyiv, and say, "You got to sign this right now in the meeting." Zelensky was unhappy, and said it was a colonial deal, it was exploitative. And Trump got angry and said Zelensky's a dictator who only has 4% approval. And now, have they kissed and made up? Well, not exactly, but they're certainly talking again. And it looks like Zelensky will be coming to Washington on Friday to meet with President Trump, and sign this agreement, which will go through parliament fairly easily. Zelensky has a majority in Parliament with his party, so he can get it approved if he wants it.
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FILE PHOTO: Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) stand guard against the M23 rebel group in Lubero, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo October 27, 2024.

REUTERS/Djaffar Al Katanty/File Photo

Rwanda-backed rebels seize towns in Congo

The rebel March 23 Movement, aka M23, reportedly supported by Rwanda,captured the strategic town of Masisi in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province from the army and pro-government militias on Saturday. Masisi, population 40,000, sits just 50 miles north of Goma, the provincial capital, home to two million Congolese — and is a key sanctuary for refugees.

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--FILE--Chinese workers check tungsten ore at a factory

Oriental Image via Reuters Connect

Why is the Pentagon funding a Canadian tungsten mine?

Most Americans are likely unaware that the Department of Defense has morphed into a major mining investor but it is becoming a significant backer of Canada’s critical minerals sector. Last Friday, the DoD announced it is investing $15.5 million in a feasibility study at a tungsten mine in eastern Yukon owned by Fireweed Metals. The Canadian government is a partner in the project, upgrading roads and transmission lines.

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