U.S. President Donald Trump said he would create a dispute-resolution body called the "Peace Committee," signaling the launch of an international organization that would effectively replace the United Nations. Trump, who has often expressed aversion to the U.N. and its affiliated bodies, also signed a presidential memorandum on the 7th (local time) to withdraw from 66 U.N. agencies.
On the 21st, Reuters, citing a senior White House official, reported that as of the 20th, expressions of intent to join the Peace Committee had been received from 35 countries. The United States is believed to have sent invitations to more than 60 countries, including Western nations such as France and Germany, as well as China and Russia.
Earlier, in October, Trump conceived the Peace Committee (Board of Peace) as the top decision-making body to govern Gaza during the cease-fire and reconstruction process. But recently, the Trump administration moved to dramatically expand the body's role to resolving international disputes beyond Gaza and elevate it into a new international organization to replace the U.N. In fact, at a Jan. 20 White House news conference marking the first anniversary of the launch of Trump's second term, when a reporter asked, "Do you expect the Peace Committee to replace the U.N.?," Trump answered, "It might."
Trump has openly expressed his hostility toward international organizations such as the U.N. At the Jan. 20 news conference, he said, "I like the potential of the U.N., but the U.N. has never lived up to that potential. The U.N. should have ended wars I ended long ago," offering a public criticism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also released a statement on the 7th, as the United States withdrew from 66 international organizations, saying, "International organizations launched for peace and cooperation have been steered by ideology and transformed into a sprawling global governance structure divorced from national interests."
However, after the inaugural executive committee members were revealed, the Financial Times (FT) noted that the organization is far removed from the "peace" it claims on the surface. Originally established for Gaza's reconstruction, it did not include Palestinian figures, and pro-Trump figures such as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and World Bank President Ajay Banga were listed.
The executive committee is also said to include former Soviet officials such as Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Countries that expressed intent to participate included Middle Eastern nations such as ▲Israel ▲Saudi Arabia ▲United Arab Emirates (UAE) ▲Qatar, as well as European nations such as ▲Hungary ▲Türkiye ▲Belarus, many of which are pro-U.S. or governed by right-wing administrations. By contrast, countries with progressive governments such as ▲France ▲United Kingdom, and those at odds with the United States over the Greenland issue—▲Denmark ▲Norway ▲Sweden—expressed their intention not to participate.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country had a Cold War relationship with the United States, also reportedly accepted the invitation, drawing attention. After his keynote at the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) annual meeting, Trump told reporters, "President Putin agreed to join the Gaza Peace Committee," adding, "Now a framework is being set to make peace."
Putin said he is willing to pay $1 billion (about 1.45 trillion won), which Trump set as a condition for obtaining "permanent member" status in the Peace Committee, from Russian asset frozen by the U.S. government. This is seen as an attempt by Russia, isolated by the war in Ukraine, to expand its diplomatic space on a new international stage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has also expressed intent to participate. Earlier, Netanyahu voiced displeasure at Türkiye and Qatar joining the executive committee, and appears to be seeking to advance his country's position by joining the Peace Committee.
Meanwhile, the FT noted concerns not only about the list of participating countries but also the organization's operating structure, which effectively proclaims a "Trump one-man system." According to the draft charter released, Trump would serve as the Peace Committee chair for life, and the chair would have the authority to render final judgments on all disputes. The authority to expel members is also vested entirely in the chair, and the selection of the next chair is granted to Trump as well.