Overview
- Ukraine diplomacy advanced with a 20-point framework announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Russia calls it a starting point and is seeking key changes.
- The Gaza truce halted large-scale fighting and freed the remaining hostages, with the body of Ron Gvili still held, as Israeli operations continue and plans for an international force and interim governance remain unsettled.
- Following December’s Washington Accords between the DRC and Rwanda, armed groups remain active in eastern Congo, with the M23 launching new offensives and U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz echoing allegations of Rwandan backing at the UN.
- The Thailand–Cambodia cease-fire frayed with renewed cross-border clashes, and Thailand’s prime minister rejected Trump’s Dec. 12 claim that a new agreement had been reached.
- The administration highlights multiple cease-fires as evidence of “peace through strength,” while critics describe short-term gains that leave core disputes unresolved and prone to relapse.