Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia will not attend the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace later this month, Russian state media reported.
Trump told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted his invitation to join the US-led board providing international oversight for the reconstruction of Gaza, Palestinian territory which was leveled by Israel in its war on Hamas.
“No one from the Kremlin,” Peskov said, when asked who would attend. “The topic of the Board is still being studied by the Foreign Ministry.”
Trump said of Putin on Jan. 21 that “he was invited, he’s accepted. Many people have accepted.”
In fact, the US president appears to have struggled to find members for his board – which includes none of America’s traditional allies in Western Europe.
Although at least 50 countries were reportedly invited, just 19 countries have agreed to sign its charter, among them Belarus, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia.
European allies have criticized the plan over fears that its role is set to be more expansive than first advertised by Trump, potentially undermining existing institutions.
“We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the charter of the Board of Peace related to its scope, its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter,” European Council chief Antonio Costa said on Jan. 23.