The UK has decided not to immediately join US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, citing concerns over the possible involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK had been invited to sign up to the initiative but would not do so at this stage.
Speaking to the media from the World Economic Forum in Davos, she explained that the government had reservations about the board’s legal scope and about Putin’s role, given Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Board of Peace, announced by the White House, is being promoted as a new international body to help resolve global conflicts. It would be chaired by President Trump and grant him wide decision-making powers.
Although initially linked to efforts to end the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, the draft charter goes much further and does not specifically mention Gaza or the Palestinian territories.
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Cooper said the UK strongly supports Trump’s 20-point plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict and wants to play a role in the next phase of peace talks. However, she stressed that the board is a binding legal treaty raising broader international concerns.
She added that the UK was particularly uneasy about Putin potentially joining an organisation focused on peace, saying there was no sign the Russian leader was committed to ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump, launching the board in Davos, insisted it was not intended to replace the United Nations and described it as one of the most significant bodies ever created.
Countries including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar have said they will join, and Trump claimed Putin had accepted an invitation, though the Kremlin has not confirmed this.
The UK said it would continue discussions with allies before deciding whether to join the initiative.
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