US President Donald Trump has said he would “love” to see Russia and China join his ‘Board of Peace’, established to guide the stabilization of Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war. Moscow earlier signaled that it was contemplating the idea, while China has declined, citing commitments to the UN.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump said many countries had already joined the board, and that “we have a lot that are going through the process of getting on.”

“I would love to have China and Russia,” he said. “They’ve been invited. You need both. You need all persuasions. No discrimination.”

Trump’s remarks came after the board held its inaugural meeting in Washington, drawing heads of state and senior officials from around 40 countries. Over 20 nations have accepted the American invitation to join the board, with roughly 35 others expressing interest in the idea.

However, several major Western countries – including Germany, France, the UK, and Italy – declined the offer. While some said they were concerned that the body could undermine the UN authority, others cited potential Russian involvement.

Formally established on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, the board is chaired by Trump for life and tasked with overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction and ceasefire implementation. The body has also been criticized for having no Palestinian representation, even as Israel has accepted the invitation to join.

Russia has not formally joined but said it had received an invitation and was studying the proposal. In January, President Vladimir Putin also floated contributing $1 billion sourced from Russian sovereign assets frozen in the US – the exact fee for a permanent seat – even before a final membership decision was reached. Moscow said, however, that it had not yet received a response to the proposal.

China declined the invitation, citing its commitment to “true multilateralism” and the UN-centered international system.

At the inaugural meeting, Trump said the US had pledged $10 billion for the board’s efforts, adding that nine other member nations – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait – had committed a combined $7 billion.

https://www.rt.com/news/632807-trump-russia-china-board-peace/

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