In a commentary titled “Trump's UN”, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” daily does not spare criticism towards the American president. “If we were dealing with a political comedy, we could laugh at this document of independence. However, the matter is extremely serious,” writes the newspaper. According to “FAZ”, the project's preamble clearly indicates that Trump's goal is to weaken the UN by creating a competitive organization. Trump treats the rejection of the invitation to the Council as a “personal insult”, as shown by his threat to impose punitive tariffs on France.
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According to “FAZ”, neither Russia nor China will decide to join this body, which further emphasizes the isolation of the project. The German daily calls on European countries to also say “no” to this initiative.
Read also: Donald Trump plans a parallel order and demands billions to enter the club
“The Billion Dollar Club”
“Sueddeutsche Zeitung” calls the Peace Council a “billion-dollar club.” The newspaper notes that almost every week Donald Trump presents ideas that even in his case seem “crazy.” The proposal of the Peace Council, which is a competitor to the UN, is, according to “SZ”, another example of the controversial actions of the American president. Permanent membership on the council is expected to cost $1 billion, although it is unclear whether the funds will go directly to Trump.
The daily draws attention to the cynical approach of Trump, who invited leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko to the body. “Is the fact that Iran has long chaired the UN Human Rights Council any less crazy?” – asks “SZ” ironically. At the same time, the newspaper emphasizes that the sum of one billion dollars may be prohibitive even for the richest countries of the Persian Gulf.
Despite skepticism towards the Peace Council, “SZ” points to the interesting composition of one of its executive bodies, responsible for the peace process in the Gaza Strip. It includes Tony Blair, Jared Kushner and Nikolai Mladenov. This body, according to the newspaper, raises greater hopes than the entire Peace Council, which may quickly fade into oblivion.
“A geopolitical club on American terms”
“Handelsblatt”, the largest German economic daily, in its commentary entitled “Trump sells peace for a billion dollars” also sharply criticizes the US president's initiative. According to the newspaper, Trump is trying to force participation in the Peace Council by threatening to impose punitive tariffs. This project has been described as a “geopolitical club on American terms” that violates the basic principles of international order.
“Peace for money, influence for loyalty,” writes “Handelsblatt”, emphasizing that security does not come from financial transactions, but from solid institutions. The newspaper calls for a joint European response to this project, which may introduce additional uncertainty on markets and among investors.
German politics is silent, but skepticism prevails
“Tageszeitung” notes that the idea of the Peace Council was met with cold reception in Germany. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has not commented on the initiative yet, but almost all parties represented in the Bundestag expressed skepticism towards the project. The newspaper emphasizes that the German public debate is dominated by the belief that Trump's Peace Council will not contribute to strengthening global security.
The German press unanimously believes that the American president's project is another example of actions that divide the world rather than unite it. Europe faces the challenge of responding decisively and collectively to this initiative.
