Topline
President Donald Trump launched his international “Board of Peace” alongside a group of international leaders—including close allies Javier Millei of Argentina and Viktor Orban of Hungary—and suggested his group would “work with” the United Nations to end conflicts as he once again claimed credit for ending eight wars.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signing founding charter at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In his speech announcing the group’s launch, Trump claimed everyone wanted to join his board of peace, as a group of around 20 international leaders sat on stage, though none represented major European allies.
Although Trump previously said his group could “replace” the United Nations, in his speech, the president said it will work with the UN and other nations.
Trump said he thought there was “tremendous potential” in the UN and “the combination of the Board of Peace…with the United Nations can be something very, very unique for the world.
In his speech, Trump touted that the U.S. economy was “booming” and suggested that the world was now “more peaceful” than before his return to office.
Talking about the Middle East, Trump said only “little fires” were left in terms of ending the war in Gaza and claimed that Iran wants to talk to him and he will talk.
“Just one year ago the world was actually on fire, a lot of people didn’t know it,” Trump said as he took several shots at his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.
After Trump’s speech, the other leaders on stage joined him to sign the board’s charter document.
Crucial Quote
Although the Board of Peace was initially pitched as a group to address the war in Gaza, the Trump administration has grown its scope to cover all global conflicts. Trump alluded to this in his speech saying: “I think we can spread out to other things as as we succeed with Gaza, we’re going to be very successful in Gaza…We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.”
What We Don’t Know
Although Trump and the group of leader on stage signed the board’s charter, its final draft has not yet been released publicly. There’s also no clear list of members who have agreed to join this group. Leaders from nearly 20 countries were on stage alongside Trump including Argentina President Javier Milei, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto. Also on stage were Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
What To Watch For?
While Trump’s speech outlined the global ambitions of his Board of Peace, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the first focus will be on Gaza. Rubio began by lavishing praise on Trump but said the board’s job “first and foremost” is to ensure that “ this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring.” He added: “If we put the time and the effort that it requires – that I know this board will do – but I also think it [Gaza} will serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world without losing focus on what’s before us now”
This is a developing story.