UK holds off joining Trump’s peace board over Putin concerns

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain will not yet sign up to the Peace Board proposed by US President Donald Trump due to concerns about the possible involvement of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Cooper told the BBC that Britain had been invited to join the board but “will not be one of the signatories today” at the ceremony planned to be held at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The secretary of state described the panel as a legal agreement that raises much broader issues than the panel’s initial focus on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The White House’s proposed charter does not mention Palestinian territory and appears designed to replace some of the functions of the United Nations.

Countries including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Israel have announced they will be members of the board, and in Davos, President Trump said he had accepted Putin’s invitation to join the initiative.

However, President Putin did not confirm this and had previously said that his country was still reviewing the invitation.

Speaking to the BBC’s Breakfast program in Davos, Cooper said Britain had received an invitation to join the board and strongly supported Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.

“That’s why we’re clear that we want to do our part in the second phase of the Gaza peace process,” Cooper said.

But he added: “We will not be one of the signatories today because this is a legal agreement that raises much wider issues.

“We also have concerns about President Putin being part of something that talks about peace, even though we’re not yet seeing any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine.”

He said Putin “has shown no willingness to come in and do this deal, and that’s where the pressure needs to be right now.”

“But we will continue international talks, including with our allies,” the Foreign Minister said.

Diplomatic relations between the US and the UK are on shakier ground after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European countries if his demand to hand over control of Greenland to his country is not met.

But the US president appears to have backtracked, saying the US is exploring a possible deal in Greenland following talks with NATO; It scrapped planned tariffs on eight European countries and refused to use force to seize the island.

Cooper welcomed the apparent escalation in Greenland and said Britain and its European allies had put forward “positive, constructive proposals” on security in the Arctic.

But when asked about the Peace Board, Cooper echoed the words of other British cabinet ministers who have expressed concerns in recent days about Putin’s potential role in the plan, given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies and, along with France, has signed a declaration of intent to send troops to the country if a peace deal is reached with Russia.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Davos on Thursday as talks to end the war in Ukraine continue.

On Wednesday, Trump repeated his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky are close to a deal.

Trump’s Peace Board was first announced by the White House as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza and design its future administration.

However, the leaked text of the board’s founding agreement goes far beyond this purpose.

The text states that the board will be “an international organization aimed at promoting stability, restoring credible and lawful governance, and securing lasting peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”

The leaked document states that the Peace Board’s charter will come into force if three states formally agree to be bound by it, with member states given renewable three-year terms and permanent seats given to those who contribute $1bn (£740m).

The charter declared the body to be an international organization authorized to perform peacebuilding functions under international law, with Trump serving as president and separately as U.S. representative, and with the authority to appoint board members and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.

Last Friday, the White House named seven members of the founding Executive Board, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British prime minister Tony Blair.

More people have now said they will join, including Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Vatican reported that the Pope also received an invitation.