Seven additional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, have announced their intention to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” according to a joint statement confirming their participation in the initiative.
Israel had earlier formally declared its involvement in the board. On Wednesday evening, President Trump also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to join the initiative. However, the Kremlin later said the matter remains under review.
Russian officials indicated that Moscow views the proposed board as primarily relevant to the Middle East. President Putin was quoted as saying that Russia would be prepared to contribute one billion dollars, potentially sourced from frozen Russian assets, to support the initiative.
The Board of Peace is being framed as a mechanism to help resolve the war in Gaza and oversee post-war reconstruction. However, a draft charter of the body reportedly makes no explicit reference to Palestinian territories, prompting speculation that it could function as an alternative framework to the United Nations rather than within existing multilateral structures.
Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries said they were joining the initiative with the stated objective of securing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and working toward a just and lasting peace.
Under the proposed structure, President Trump would serve as chairman of the board, with exclusive authority to appoint executive members and to create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.
Several countries — including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Hungary and Vietnam — have already signed on to the initiative. The United Kingdom and Canada have received invitations but have yet to announce a final decision. The Vatican said Pope Leo has been invited and will consider the proposal.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob has rejected the invitation, warning that such an organisation could constitute a dangerous intervention in the existing international order.
Leaked documents reportedly show that countries contributing one billion dollars would be granted permanent seats on the board.
Source: BBC.