TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump has invited his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as well as leaders from Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Morocco, to join his Gaza "board of peace."
The invitation, reported by Al Jazeera on Monday, comes amidst Russia's ongoing nearly four-year aggression in Ukraine and the difficult peace agreement negotiations.
Trump has been advocating for an end to this war, which he believed would cease within 24 hours of his one-year presidency. Despite ongoing peace negotiations, progress has been slow.
The White House has reached out to global figures to sit on the "Board of Peace," which is chaired by Trump himself.
“President Putin also received an invitation to join this board of peace,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
Russia is attempting to "clarify all the nuances" of the offer with Washington, without indicating whether Putin is inclined to join.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Putin, has also reportedly been invited by Trump to join the group.
Moscow has been striving to balance relationships with all major players in the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine.
However, since the start of Israel's two-year-long genocidal war in Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has distanced himself from Israel and strengthened relations with its opponents, such as Iran.
Moscow is also seeking closer ties with Gulf Arab states amid increasing Western isolation.
Putin previously lauded Trump's efforts to resolve the conflict.
“He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades,”Putin said in October last year.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Putin stated, “If we succeed in achieving everything Donald has strived for, … it will be a historic event.”
Attacks on Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza have strained Moscow's relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.
The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized Israel's war in Gaza and called for restraint from Israel.
“The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word,”Putin said, as quoted by the news agency RIA Novosti in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in May.
“Russia, as a friend of the Palestinian people, is trying to provide regular assistance,” the Russian president said.
The "Board of Peace," expected to implement Trump's 20-point plan to end Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, is a three-tiered governmental structure consisting of representatives from around the world, including the US, Europe, and Arab countries.
However, experts have criticized this structure for placing Trump, pro-Israel officials like US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and controversial figures in the region, such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, at the top, while placing Palestine at the third tier with city-level tasks, potentially marginalizing Palestine's political role in favor of a commercialized and "neocolonial" governance model.
Invitations to Other Countries
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told VG newspaper, as quoted by Antara on Monday, that he has "become aware" of Trump's invitation on Friday. According to him, Norway government will consider how relevant Trump's "board of peace" invite was.
In addition, Trump has also extended an invitation to Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob to participate in the initiative, according to the Slovenian government.
According to the Slovenian government, citing a letter from President Donald Trump to Golob, Trump invited him to take part in strengthening peace in the Middle East by becoming a member of the founding countries of the Council of Peace.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that King Mohammed VI agreed to join the Gaza peace council.
Furthermore, Trump has invited the Netherlands to join the Gaza peace council, and the invitation is under consideration, reported by NRC newspaper.
In mid-November, the UN Security Council approved a US-proposed resolution to support Trump's comprehensive plan to address the situation in Gaza.
Thirteen of the 15 council members supported the proposal, while Russia and China abstained. The US plan for Gaza proposes an international interim administration for the region and the formation of a peace council led by Trump, as well as deployment of international stabilization forces.
On October 10, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas came into effect, and on October 13, Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a declaration on the Gaza ceasefire.
Read: Gaza Board Extended Membership to Cost $1 Billion - Reports
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