World Leaders React Cautiously to Trump’s Proposed ‘Board of Peace’

By Emmanuel Bobby

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited, alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping and strongman leaders from Hungary to Belarus and beyond, to join President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace.”

A growing list of world leaders — including those from India, Pakistan and the European Union’s executive arm — say they have been offered a seat on the board, which Trump has described as a mechanism to oversee the next phase of his plan for the Gaza Strip.

However, the board’s charter makes no direct reference to Gaza. Instead, it outlines a sweeping mandate for a new international body that aims to “promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”

While a handful of leaders have publicly accepted the invitation, it remains unclear whether any have agreed to the charter’s financial requirement: a $1 billion contribution to avoid renewing membership after three years. The charter text was confirmed by two sources from countries that received invitations.

Many governments appear unsettled by the board’s expanding scope. Several key U.S. allies in Europe have raised concerns that the initiative could undermine the authority of the United Nations in resolving conflicts, particularly as Trump has openly threatened the use of U.S. military force to take control of Greenland.

In letters sent Friday to world leaders, Trump said the new body would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.” A copy of the letter was posted on the website of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with similar versions received by other leaders.

A source close to French President Emmanuel Macron said he does not plan to respond favorably at this stage, citing serious concerns about respect for the United Nations and the possibility that the board could function as a rival to the U.N. Security Council. In a separate statement, Macron’s office said the charter “goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations.”

Trump responded late Monday by threatening to impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagnes, an apparent effort to pressure Macron to reverse course and join the board.

The Kremlin also signaled hesitation. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was studying the proposal and planned to contact U.S. officials to clarify its details. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he had received an invitation and said Ukrainian diplomats were reviewing it.

Orbán and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko both acknowledged receiving Trump’s letter. Orbán said he had accepted what he called an “honorable invitation,” while Belarus formally joined the board Tuesday, according to a statement from its foreign ministry.

Nearly two dozen countries have been invited, including Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Canada and Australia. The breadth of invitations sheds light on the scale of Trump’s vision for postwar governance in Gaza and the next phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

In Israel, the plan has already drawn criticism. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Trump should be told “his plan is bad for the State of Israel and to cancel it.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a more measured tone, telling lawmakers that while differences exist with Washington over the advisory bodies tied to Gaza’s future, they would not damage his relationship with Trump.

Israeli officials have been particularly critical of Trump’s inclusion of Qatar and Turkey on a separate advisory committee expected to play a major role in Gaza’s administration. Both countries have strained relations with Israel following the two-year war in Gaza. Netanyahu said no soldiers from those nations would be permitted to enter the territory.

Another regional player, the United Arab Emirates, announced Tuesday that it had accepted the invitation to join the board.

In a statement Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the Gaza executive committee outlined in the plan was “not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” adding that Netanyahu had instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to raise concerns with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Since the U.N. Security Council approved Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, the White House’s original concept appears to have expanded significantly. Notably, the board’s charter does not mention Gaza at all.

“This is an issue of on-the-ground diplomacy and leverage, not creating some global cosmic superstructure,” said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Trump’s proposal, he added, is “tethered to a galaxy far, far away, not to the realities here on planet earth.”

Under the charter, Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman of the board’s executive body, with authority to vote on proposals and veto decisions at any time. The combination of a $1 billion price tag and guaranteed U.S. dominance could make participation a hard sell, Miller said.

“If you sign up for the ‘Board of Peace,’ you will be aligning yourself with Trump’s vision,” Miller said. “Adding a billion-dollar entry fee — as if this were a seasonal membership at Mar-a-Lago — has created the sense that this is not serious.”