In looking for members for his Gaza Peace Panel, to handle the redevelopment of the Gaza Strip after years of war, Donald Trump has turned to an unlikely person.
The US President has reportedly invited Vladimir Putin to join the body, which will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza.
Russian state media first reported Putin’s invitation to join the board, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirming it.
‘Indeed, President Putin also received an offer through diplomatic channels to join this Peace Council. At the moment, we are studying all the details of this proposal,’ he said.
The appointment of Putin is bound to raise some eyebrows, given he’s waged a years-long war which has decimated a large part of Ukraine, with peace talks still stalling.
Last week, Trump announced other appointees to his Gaza Peace Board, which were objected to by Israel.
President Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the so-called Board of Peace ‘was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy’.
No Israeli officials have been named to the committee, although an Israeli businessman has been.
Trump called it ‘the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place’ ahead of the announcement.
The officials listed included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Former UN special envoy Nickolay Mladenov was also named to the board, alongside billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and US Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.
Trump previously said the board would include former Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he called a ‘good man’.
Dr Dafydd Townley, a member of the University of Portsmouth Military Education Team and senior teaching fellow in International Security, previously told Metro the pairing of Trump and Blair could be beneficial.
‘Blair has a history of working with those from the opposite end of the political spectrum, such as George W. Bush, with whom he had a very good relationship, along with his cabinet.
‘So, you might expect that Blair is rather pragmatic in his approach to international relations,’ he said.’
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