US President Donald Trump told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted an invitation to join a US-led “Peace Council” to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
The council, which is intended to provide international oversight of the levelled Palestinian territory in the wake of a US-brokered ceasefire, has been snubbed by many European leaders over concerns that it could undermine the role of the United Nations.
As per AFP, Trump said of Putin that “he was invited, he’s accepted. Many people have accepted.”
Although the Kremlin received Trump’s invitation on Jan. 19, it has not yet confirmed its acceptance. “The Russian foreign ministry has been charged with studying the documents that were sent to us and to consult on the topic with our strategic partners,” Putin told a televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Putin also raised the possibility of paying the $1 billion price of permanent membership using the Russian assets frozen in the US under former US President Joe Biden’s administration – as well as “to reconstruct the territories damaged by the hostilities, after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”
As these funds are currently inaccessible to Moscow. Accepting this counter-proposal would represent a significant concession by the US. And none of the funds from the “membership” would go to Ukraine.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for over three decades, signed an agreement to join the council, or “Board of Peace,” on Tuesday.
Few countries have confirmed their acceptance of Trump’s invitation. Norway, Sweden, and France, are among those to have ruled out joining.