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Topics: Donald Trump, Explained, Gaza, Politics, Russia, Vladimir Putin, World News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Donald Trump, Explained, Gaza, Politics, Russia, Vladimir Putin, World News
United States President Donald Trump has now invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join a US-proposed Gaza 'Board of Peace'.
The board is part of the 79-year-old Republican's 20-point peace plan to bring a sustained end to the Israel-Hamas war, and is expected to help govern Gaza in the medium term and manage its reconstruction.
Trump intends to chair it and has been inviting world leaders to join it, with reports suggesting Putin and his Belarusian counterpart and close ally, Aleksandr Lukashenko, are among those invited to join the organisation.
On Monday (19 January), the Kremlin said Putin had received the offer. Neither Moscow nor Trump has said whether Putin had accepted, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was 'currently studying all details of this offer'.
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"We hope to be in touch with the US in order to clarify all of its aspects," he added.
The White House's offer to Putin comes as Russia has yet to accept a US-backed peace deal aimed at ending its four-year war against Ukraine.
That same day, Trump threatened 200% tariffs on French wine after President Emmanuel Macron declined to join.
In response, a source close to President Macron told the BBC: "Threats to use tariffs to influence our foreign policies are unacceptable and ineffective."
"I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes. And he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join," Trump claimed.
Other world leaders have responded to the invitations to join the Board of Peace. Morocco's King Mohammed VI, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally, have accepted roles on the board.
Several other nations, including Albania, Canada and Uzbekistan, have already indicated they plan to join the venture.
According to several news outlets, including Bloomberg, Trump was asking countries to contribute $1 billion (£745 million) to join.
The Board of Peace's structure remains unclear, but the White House has officially confirmed two separate senior boards.
These include the 'Gaza Executive Board', which is responsible for all on-ground work in Gaza, and the 'founding Executive Board', which will focus on high-level investment and diplomacy.
Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair was among the executive members of the fledgling peace project, alongside Trump administration heavy-hitters Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff.
As of now, no Palestinian names have been included on the senior boards.
Reports about Trump asking Putin to join his 'Board of Peace' were condemned by ministers this week.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper suggested that Putin does not belong on the board, and Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, described the idea as 'absurd'.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Cooper added: "Putin is not a man of peace, and I don’t think he belongs in any organisation with peace in the name."
She added that the 'most important organisation' for the future of the territory is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is made up of Palestinians.
"Gaza should be run by Palestinians. That is crucial, and that is what we should now be supporting to take forward," she said.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters on Tuesday: "We are concerned about reports that Putin and Lukashenko could be members of the board. Putin is the aggressor in an illegal war against Ukraine, and he has shown time and time again that he is not serious about peace."
He added: "Our discussions with international partners about the board of peace continue.
"We continue to work closely with our partners and allies in the region on the UK’s role in supporting the next phase of the 20-point peace plan, and we continue also to welcome the leadership of the United States in working towards a sustainable and lasting peace in Gaza."
Starmer is understood to have been invited to join the board over the weekend.