Trump says Putin has accepted his invitation to the “Council for Peace.” But how does the Kremlin leader want to pay the “entrance ticket”
Vladimir Putin. PHOTO: Alexander Kazakov / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, at the Davos Economic Forum, that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted his invitation to join the “Peace Council”, considered a competitor of the UN. “He was invited. He accepted,” the US president told reporters, according to AFP.
However, Vladimir Putin had announced a few minutes earlier that he had ordered his Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study this invitation, before he could respond, News.ro writes.
“The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked with studying the documents that were sent to us and consulting our strategic partners in this regard,” Putin said on Wednesday, during a government meeting.
“Only after that we will be able to respond to the invitation that was addressed to us”, he added, thanking Trump for this initiative.
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“From Russian wealth frozen by Biden”
Vladimir Putin also said Russia could pay the $1 billion required as a ticket for a permanent seat on “Russian wealth frozen under the former US administration” because of the war in Ukraine.
He also suggested that Russian funds stuck in the United States could be used for “the reconstruction of territories affected by hostilities, after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”
Zelensky says Ukraine invited to Trump's proposed “Council for Peace”: “It's hard to imagine how we could be together with Russia in any kind of council”
According to the White House, the “Council for Peace” proposed by Donald Trump has as its main objective the development of a plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
“It is essential that the whole process has a favorable effect on the long-term settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions,” commented the Kremlin leader.
“It is necessary that the inalienable needs and desires of the Palestinians be taken into account,” he added, saying that Moscow would support “all efforts aimed at strengthening international stability.”
Commenting, on the other hand, on Trump's desire to take control of Greenland, Vladimir Putin said that this matter “absolutely does not concern” Russia. However, he accused Denmark of “always treating Greenland as a colony” and of “treating it rather harshly, not to say cruelly”.
Sergey Lavrov states that Greenland is not a “natural part” of Denmark. “Isn't it?”
What is Trump's “Council for Peace”.
The leaders of dozens of countries, including Nicușor Dan, received at the end of last week a letter inviting them to join the initiative of the United States called the “Council for Peace” which would initially aim to end the conflict in Gaza, but which would be expanded to address conflicts elsewhere, according to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters.
Among those invited to sit on the Peace Council are the leaders of France, Germany, Hungary, Australia, Turkey, Egypt and Canada. Ursula von der Leyen was invited to represent the European Union, and Putin from Russia.
“I have, of course, accepted this honorable invitation,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally, wrote on X.
While Hungary issued an unequivocal acceptance, most governments avoided public comment, but privately expressed concerns about the implications of Trump's plan for the authority of the United Nations (UN).
“It's a 'Trump United Nations' that ignores the fundamental principles of the UN Charter,” a diplomat briefed on the contents of the letter told Reuters, adding that it described the council as “a bold new approach to solving global conflicts.”
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$1 billion to be a permanent member
According to the draft statute, Donald Trump would be the chairman of this Peace Council and decide who would be invited to become a member. Decisions would be made by majority vote, with each member state present having one vote, but all would be subject to the president's approval.
Two diplomatic sources said the letter of invitation included a “charter”. This “charter” sent by the US administration to about 60 countries requires members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.
“Each member state shall have a term of not more than three years from the entry into force of this Charter, with the possibility of renewal by the President. The three-year term shall not apply to member states that contribute more than $1,000,000,000 in liquid funds to the Peace Council in the first year after the entry into force of the Charter,” the draft reads.
The list of people invited to take part in the Peace Council is to be revealed in full at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
