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January 22, 2026

Trump Launches Board of Peace; Critics Warn It Could Undermine U.N.
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President Trump hosted a signing ceremony today in Davos for his
so-called Board of Peace. Some 35 countries have agreed to sign on to
the project, but many critics fear the board could undermine the United
Nations. Trump will serve as the board's chair indefinitely and have
veto power over the board's decisions. Trump is asking countries to pay
$1 billion for a permanent spot on the board. Trump initially proposed
the board to oversee Gaza, but he now envisions a much broader mission.

President Donald Trump: "Once this board is completely formed, we can do
pretty much whatever we want to do. And we'll do it in conjunction with
the United Nations. You know, I've always said, the United Nations has
got tremendous potential, has not used it. … On the eight wars that I
ended, I never spoke to the United Nations about any of them. And you
would think that I should have. You would think they could have done
those eight wars, but they couldn't have. And they tried, I guess, in
some of them, but they didn't try hard enough."

Countries who have joined the board so far include many right-wing or
authoritarian governments, including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain,
Belarus, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United
Arab Emirates. Hungary is the only European country to sign on. France,
Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom have all said they will
not join.

Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian
President Vladimir Putin to join the Board of Peace. The Israeli press
reports Netanyahu opted not to fly to Switzerland, out of fear that he
would be arrested for war crimes. During the Board of Peace ceremony,
Trump also suggested a settlement on the Ukraine war is "coming very
soon."


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