The Kremlin has confirmed that Vladimir Putin has received an invitation to join Donald Trump’s new international governance body
The Kremlin has officially announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a formal invitation to join the Board of Peace, a new international organisation established by the Trump administration. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that Moscow is currently studying the proposal’s nuances through diplomatic channels. This development occurs as the conflict in Ukraine continues without a clear path to de-escalation, raising questions about the strategic intent behind the offer.
The Board of Peace was originally unveiled as a mechanism to oversee the reconstruction and governance of Gaza following a United Nations-backed ceasefire agreement. However, the organisation’s scope appears to be expanding rapidly into a broader alternative to existing multilateral institutions. The inclusion of the Russian leadership suggests a desire to integrate rival powers into a new framework of global stability managed directly by the White House.
Structure and membership of the new council
The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and includes a founding executive board composed of high-profile figures such as Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. According to draft charters, the organisation seeks to restore dependable governance in regions affected by conflict. Invitations have been sent to approximately 60 world leaders, including those from India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Canada, as well as the President of the European Commission.
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A unique and controversial feature of the Board of Peace is its membership fee structure. Countries that wish to secure a permanent seat on the council are reportedly asked to contribute one billion dollars to a dedicated fund. Without this payment, member states are subject to a three-year term with renewals at the discretion of the chairman. This transactional approach to diplomacy has drawn sharp criticism from European allies who view it as a departure from traditional international law.
Geopolitical friction over Greenland and NATO
The invitation to Putin arrives amid extreme tension between Washington and its European allies. President Trump recently threatened a 25 per cent tariff on eight European nations, including Denmark and France, unless a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland. He argues that the Arctic territory is essential for national security to prevent Russian and Chinese encroachment in the region.
The Kremlin has reacted with a mix of curiosity and strategic opportunism to these developments. While the Ukraine war remains a point of deep contention, Peskov suggested that a US takeover of Greenland would certainly go down in history. By inviting Putin to the Board of Peace while he is penalising NATO allies, Trump appears to be realigning his foreign policy priorities toward a bilateral understanding with Moscow.
Rivalry with the United Nations
The Board of Peace is increasingly viewed as a direct rival to the United Nations Security Council. Its charter explicitly calls for the “courage to depart from institutions that have too often failed,” which many diplomats interpret as a swipe at the UN’s inability to resolve long-standing wars. Unlike the UN, the new board places concentrated power in the hands of its chairman, enabling rapid decision-making free of traditional bureaucratic hurdles.
Russia and China previously abstained from a UN resolution that authorised the board’s mandate for Gaza, citing concerns over the lack of a clear UN role. However, the prospect of a permanent seat on a Trump-led council may offer Moscow a route out of diplomatic isolation. The invitation forces Putin to weigh the benefits of joining a US-centric order against his current alliance with Beijing and his objectives in Eastern Europe.
The Hinge Point
The invitation to Vladimir Putin to join the Board of Peace marks the moment when the post-World War II international system ceases to function as the primary arbiter of global conflict. This is the hinge point because it validates a “pay-to-play” model of diplomacy where historical grievances and active wars are secondary to personal deals between leaders. The story changes here because the United States is officially inviting its primary military adversary to co-manage global stability while simultaneously threatening its own democratic allies with economic warfare.
This shift indicates that the transatlantic alliance is no longer the foundational pillar of American foreign policy. By treating the Russian President as a potential partner in a “Board of Peace” while the invasion of Ukraine persists, the Trump administration has decoupled trade and territory from traditional human rights or democratic standards. What can no longer remain the same is the assumption that the West operates as a unified bloc against authoritarianism. The world is entering an era of radical bilateralism, in which peace is negotiated as a commercial transaction rather than a collective moral obligation.