Putin invited to join Gaza ‘Board of Peace', says Kremlin: List of countries tapped for ‘Trump's United Nations'

The Kremlin said on Monday, 19 January, that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's ‘Board of Peace’, and that Moscow was studying the proposal while hoping for contacts with Washington regarding it.

“We are studying the details of the ‘Board of Peace’ proposal. We hope to have contacts with the US to clarify the details on it,” the Kremlin said.

Russia also issued a statement on Trump's attempts to take over Greenland from Denmark. It said the Russian government was analysing the situation. “There is a lot of disturbing information,” it said.

Multiple countries, including India, have been invited by Trump to join his ‘Board of Peace’, which many analysts have dubbed his own United Nations.

According to the draft charter, the board would be chaired for life by Trump, would start by addressing the Gaza conflict, and later expand to deal with other conflicts.

Countries invited to join or accepted Trump's ‘Board of Peace’

According to the reports, the US president has so far invited India, Hungary, Jordan, Greece, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Canada, Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Albania to join the initiative.

Trump has also invited India to join his ‘Board of Peace’. India has not responded yet to the invitation.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accepted an invitation to join the board, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told state radio on Sunday. Orban is one of Trump's most ardent supporters in Europe.

Trump has extended invitations to some 60 countries for the initiative.

Countries to pay $1 billion to stay on ‘Board of Peace’?

The draft charter of the ‘Board of Peace’ proposes a $1 billion fee for a permanent member of the board. It is not clear whether the $1 billion fee is mandatory for all countries that accept the invitation. 

“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft said, Bloomberg reported.

The plan attracted swift criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the details had not been coordinated with his country. A diplomat quoted by Reuters described the body as a “Trump United Nations” that, he said, ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter.

(With agency inputs)