Tshisekedi Meets Rubio to Deepen U.S.–DRC Partnership

Washington, D.C. | February 4, 2026 — President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo held high-level talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, marking a decisive step in deepening the U.S.–DRC Strategic Partnership — with a strong focus on investment, critical minerals, and security cooperation.

The meeting capped a full day of intensive diplomatic engagements by the Congolese Head of State with senior U.S. institutions, underscoring Kinshasa’s growing centrality in Washington’s Africa and global supply-chain strategy.

From peace to partnership: what Tshisekedi and Rubio discussed

According to the U.S. State Department, President Tshisekedi and Secretary Rubio reviewed progress on implementing the U.S.–DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement signed on December 4, 2025. Discussions focused on:

• expanding U.S. private-sector investment across the DRC,

• advancing cooperation on critical minerals, particularly copper and cobalt,

• and reinforcing a broader security partnership, including compliance with the Washington Peace Accords and the December 4 Memorandum of Understanding.

Washington reaffirmed its commitment to Congo’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability, particularly in the eastern provinces.

A full day of high-level U.S. engagement

The Rubio meeting came after a series of strategic encounters that illustrate the breadth of the U.S.–Congo reset.

Earlier in the day, President Tshisekedi met with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), alongside Congo’s Deputy Prime Ministers for Economy and Finance. The DFC reiterated its interest in supporting Congo’s development vision by mobilizing public-private investment in priority sectors.

The Congolese leader also held talks with U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, focusing on:

• security in eastern DRC,

• civilian protection,

• implementation and monitoring of peace commitments,

• and the securing of strategic minerals.

At the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Brian Mast and joined by Gregory Meeks, Chris Smith, and Sarah Jacobs, Tshisekedi emphasized the DRC’s central role in the global energy transition, calling for stronger bilateral cooperation anchored in peace and development.

A separate meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum explored economic opportunities and mutually beneficial investment, particularly in resource governance and land-linked development.

Critical minerals move to the center of U.S. foreign policy

The Tshisekedi–Rubio meeting took place against the backdrop of the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial, hosted in Washington by Secretary Rubio and attended by delegations from 54 countries, including the DRC.

The ministerial marked a clear shift in U.S. strategy: reducing global dependence on highly concentrated mineral supply chains and building secure, diversified, and resilient alternatives.

The DRC featured prominently. On February 3, a day before the ministerial, the U.S. witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Glencore and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, linked to potential asset acquisitions in Congo. U.S. officials described the move as directly aligned with the U.S.–DRC Strategic Partnership, aimed at ensuring reliable copper and cobalt flows to American industries.

Why this meeting matters

Taken together, the engagements signal a structural shift in U.S.–Congo relations:

• from aid to strategic investment,

• from crisis management to long-term economic alignment,

• and from indirect engagement to direct partnership on minerals, infrastructure, and security.

  
  

For Washington, Congo is emerging as a pillar of supply-chain security in an era defined by energy transition, AI, and advanced manufacturing. The DRC is positioning itself not as a peripheral supplier, but as a sovereign partner at the center of global economic and geopolitical recalibration.

As implementation of the Strategic Partnership accelerates, the Tshisekedi–Rubio meeting stands as one of the clearest indicators yet that U.S.–DRC relations have entered a new, consequential phase.