Donald Trump claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin accepted his invitation to join the peace committee, before Putin's side stated they are still considering and are ready to provide financial support.
On Wednesday, 21 Jan 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to join the “Board of Peace” that Trump is initiating, aimed at resolving global conflicts including restoring the Gaza Strip.
"Because we need everyone. We need every country, every country where people hold control and absolute power. This way, we will avoid future problems. This is the greatest committee ever assembled," Trump said when CNN's Katlan Collins asked why he invited Putin to join.
The president acknowledged this would be controversial. "Yes, I have some controversial people on this committee, but these are people who get things done... so he was invited and he has agreed."
However, Reuters reported that Putin responded cautiously, saying he is still considering the invitation. He stated Russia is prepared to contribute $1 billion from frozen Russian assets and views this committee as primarily related to the Middle East region.
Initially, the committee was understood to aim at ending the long-standing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and overseeing reconstruction, but the proposed charter does not mention Palestinian territories and seems designed to replace various roles of the United Nations (UN).
It remains unclear how many countries were invited to join Trump's new organization. Canada and the United Kingdom are among those invited but have not given official responses.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Qatar have agreed to participate.
Also, on Wednesday, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has been invited. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, told reporters the Pope is considering whether to join.
France has declined Trump's invitation, leading the U.S. president to threaten a 200% import tax on French wine, while Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob rejected the invitation, citing that the organization "dangerously interferes with the international order on a broad scale."
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Source:cnn