Trump thinking 'steps ahead' with Board of Peace, foreign policy expert says
Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Aaron MacLean analyzes President Trump's Board of Peace initiative, its implications for the Middle East and its relationship to the U.N.
President Donald Trump unveiled his Board of Peace on Thursday, with world leaders signing on to pursue a lasting agreement for Gaza.
Trump inaugurated the board during a speech and signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"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," Trump said in a statement.
"This isn’t the United States, this is for the world," he added. "I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza."
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President Donald Trump delivers a special address during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump noted that most of the 59 leaders signed onto the deal are "very popular," but others were "not so popular."
"That's the way it goes," he said.
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Notably absent from the board was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said Moscow is discussing membership with Russia's "strategic partners."
Putin says Moscow is weighing membership in Trump's Board of Peace. (Ramil Sitdikov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images))
The U.K. also has yet to join the board because the legal treaty "brings up much broader issues," the country's foreign secretary said.
"And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine," U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC.
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Norway and Sweden have indicated that they also won’t participate, after France also declined membership. French officials stressed that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they were concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.
Trump himself has spoken about the board potentially making the U.N. obsolete.
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The president was more conciliatory during his remarks in Davos, however, assuring attendees that "We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations."
Canada and China also have not signed on to the board.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
