China announced on Tuesday that it has been invited to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, joining a group of several other nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received the invitation, and the Kremlin is now “studying the details” and will seek clarity of “all the nuances” in contacts with the U.S., said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Trump confirmed Monday night that Putin had been invited.
Other countries like Belarus, Slovenia and Thailand, as well as the European Union’s executive arm were also among the latest to receive invitations.
It’s unclear how many leaders have been asked to join the board, and the large number of invitations being sent out has raised questions about the board’s mandate and decision-making processes.
The U.S. is expected to announce its official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, according to The Associated Press.
Trump’s Board and Global Role
The Board of Peace set up by Trump to oversee Gaza will have a broader mandate that could allow it to rival the UN and mediate in other global conflicts, according to the charter sent to prospective members.
The text, however, does not mention the Gaza Strip but stresses the need for a “more nimble and effective international peace-building body”, suggests its scope would be far broader, and that the body — which will be chaired by Trump himself — could be used as a rival to the UN, the Financial Times reported.
“The Board of Peace is an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” the charter says, according to a copy seen by FT.
“Durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” the text says.
The copy also notes that the countries that join the board will serve a limited three-year term unless they contribute over $1bn within the first year of its operations.
The distribution of the charter came after US officials had floated the idea of allowing the board to mediate in other hotspots such as Ukraine and Venezuela, and appears to give credence to diplomats’ fears that the Trump administration is seeking ways to sideline the UN, FT added.
Trump, who was eager to win the Nobel Peace Prize, said in the letter that the board would convene in the near future, adding: “This board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it!”
The mandate for a Board of Peace was authorized by the United Nations Security Council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza war. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, saying that the resolution did not give the U.N. a clear role in the future of Gaza.
