The United Kingdom has said it will not yet join U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, citing concerns over the potential involvement of Russia, the country’s foreign secretary said on Thursday.
The United Kingdom will hold off on signing up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper raising concerns about Russia’s possible participation in the initiative.
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Cooper confirmed that the UK had been invited to join the board but would not be among the signatories at a formal ceremony taking place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“We won’t be one of the signatories today,” Cooper said, adding that the proposal raised broader legal and political questions for London.
The White House has described the Board of Peace as part of a wider 20-point plan on Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in November 2025 under Resolution 2803. The initiative was initially conceived as a mechanism to oversee a Gaza ceasefire and coordinate post-war reconstruction.
However, Cooper said the scope of the board had since expanded significantly.
“This is a legal treaty that raises much broader issues than the original focus on the Gaza ceasefire,” she said.
Russia’s Role a Key Sticking Point
A central concern for London is the potential inclusion of Russia. Earlier this week, Cooper told parliament that Moscow’s participation would be incompatible with the board’s stated purpose.
“President Vladimir Putin is not a man of peace, and I don’t think he belongs in any organisation with peace in the name,” she said.
Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he had invited Putin to join the Board of Peace, describing the body as “one of the most consequential organisations ever created.”
The proposal comes amid continued international efforts to address multiple conflicts, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and has prompted mixed reactions among U.S. allies.
Growing Membership Despite UK Hesitation
Despite the UK’s decision to delay participation, a number of countries have already accepted invitations to join the board. According to U.S. officials, those include Azerbaijan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt, as well as NATO members Türkiye and Hungary.
The initiative has evolved into a broader international conflict-mediation platform, with dozens of states invited to take part, reflecting Washington’s push to create a new diplomatic mechanism alongside existing international institutions.
Cautious Approach from London
British officials have not ruled out joining the board at a later stage, but Cooper indicated that further clarity would be needed on the initiative’s legal framework, mandate and membership before the UK could commit.
The decision underscores London’s continued caution in multilateral initiatives that may include Russia, particularly as the war in Ukraine continues and relations between Moscow and Western governments remain deeply strained.
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), ap...
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against...
A committee overseeing the Mecca defence pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh on Monday, 5 O...
The co-pilot of Israel bound flydubai flight attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with an axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday.
Hammam al-Hammami, the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday in a suspected terrorist attack, was banned from flying by Oman over concerns about his radical views, U.S. media reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Two Iranian nationals have been charged in Britain with preparing a suspected terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in northern England, police said on Friday (2 October).
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
A major bridge across the Dnipro river in Kyiv was hit in a Russian air attack on Saturday, the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko said, as strikes on the capital's infrastructure continue.
A committee overseeing the Mecca defence pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh on Monday, 5 October, to discuss regional developments and the alliance’s institutionalisation, Türkiye's foreign ministry said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to lead the administration’s latest effort to shape policy on artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Wall Street Journal.
Brazilians are voting on Sunday (04 October) in the first round of a closely contested general election, following a campaign shaped by corruption scandals, economic concerns and accusations of foreign interference.
The sound of air raid sirens and explosions rang out in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Sunday (4 October) as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived for a visit to show support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid escalating Russian attacks.
An alleged 2024 rape case involving seven former members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity has been reopened after the alleged victim, known anonymously as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit accusing the men of drugging and gang-raping her.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment