Trump to unveil 'Board of Peace' at Davos after Greenland backtrack / Photo: © AFP
Trump to unveil 'Board of Peace' at Davos after Greenland backtrack
US President Donald Trump will show off his new "Board of Peace" and meet Ukraine's leader at Davos on Thursday -- burnishing his claim to be a peacemaker a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland.
Trump abruptly announced on Wednesday that he was scrapping tariffs against Europe and ruling out military action to take Greenland from Denmark, partially defusing a crisis which has shaken the meeting of global elites.
On his second day at the Swiss ski resort, Trump will seek to promote the "Board of Peace", his controversial body for resolving international conflicts, with a signing ceremony for the organisation's charter.
The fledgling board boasts a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership and Trump has invited leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungary's Viktor Orban to join.
"I think it's the greatest board ever formed," Trump said Wednesday as he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, another of the leaders who have agreed to join.
The launch of the board comes against the backdrop of Trump's frustration at having failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his disputed claim to have ended eight conflicts.
Originally meant to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board's charter does not limit its role to the Strip and has sparked concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations.
Key US allies including France and Britain have expressed skepticism but others have signed up, particularly in the Middle East where Trump-friendly Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have agreed to join.
About 35 world leaders have committed so far out of the 50 or so invitations that went out, a senior Trump administration official told reporters on Wednesday.
Trump also said on Wednesday that Putin had agreed to join -- despite the Kremlin so far saying it was still studying the invite.
- 'Framework of a future deal' -
The inclusion of Russian president Putin has caused particular concern among US allies, but especially in Ukraine as it seeks an end to Moscow's nearly four-year-old invasion.
Trump said he was due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the "Board of Peace" meeting as difficult negotiations for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war continue.
At Davos on Wednesday, Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be "stupid" not to reach a peace deal in the conflict that he said he could solve within a day of taking office a year ago.
Trump repeated his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal, although he has veered between blaming one or the other for the lack of a ceasefire so far.
"I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don't, they're stupid -- that goes for both of them," said the US president.
Trump has long been a skeptic of US support for Ukraine and says that it is now up to NATO and Europe to back Kyiv. But his belief that he has a personal connection with Putin has not brought an end to the war so far.
The US leader's roving special envoy, businessman Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Moscow from Davos with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and hold talks with Putin on Thursday.
Zelensky has meanwhile voiced fears that Trump's push to seize Greenland could divert focus away from Russia's invasion of his country.
Trump however said late Wednesday he had reached a "framework of a future deal" after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte, and that he would therefore waive tariffs scheduled to hit European allies on February 1.
Rutte told AFP in Davos that the meeting had been "very good" but that there was "still a lot of work to be done" on Greenland.
Trump insists the mineral-rich Arctic island is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China.
(M.Dorokhin--DTZ)
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