UK delays joining Trump’s peace commission amid Putin concerns

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain has not yet signed up to US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace commission over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s possible involvement.

Cooper told the BBC that Britain had been invited to join the committee but “will not be one of the signatories today” at a planned ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The foreign secretary described the committee as a “legal treaty that raises wider issues” and the initiative initially focused on ending the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.

The charter proposed by the White House makes no mention of the Palestinian territories and appears designed to replace some of the functions of the United Nations.

Countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Israel have said they will become members of the council, and President Trump said in Davos that Putin had accepted an invitation to join the initiative.

But President Vladimir Putin has not confirmed this, having earlier said Russia was still studying the invitation.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast in Davos, Cooper said Britain had received an invitation to join the committee and strongly supported Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.

“That’s why we also clearly want to play our part in the second phase of the Gaza peace process,” Cooper said.

But she added: “We will not be one of the signatories today because this is a legal treaty that raises wider issues.

“We also do have concerns about President Putin engaging in talk of peace, and we still don’t see any indication that Putin is committed to peace in Ukraine.”

She said Putin had shown “no willingness to come to a deal and that’s where the pressure needs to be applied now.”

“But we will continue to have international discussions, including with our allies,” the foreign secretary said.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Britain have become more volatile after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European countries if his demands to hand over control of Greenland were not met.

But Trump appeared to back down, saying the United States was exploring a potential deal on Greenland following talks with the NATO security alliance, while he scrapped planned tariffs on eight European countries and ruled out the use of force to seize the island.

Cooper welcomed the apparent concession on Greenland and said Britain and its European allies had made “positive, constructive proposals” on Arctic security.

But when asked about the peace committee, Cooper echoed calls from other British cabinet ministers who have expressed concern in recent days about Putin’s potential role in the plan, given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Britain has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies and has signed a statement of intent with France to deploy troops to the country if a peace deal is reached with Russia.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Davos on Thursday as negotiations to end the war in Ukraine continue.

On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky are close to reaching a deal.

The Trump Peace Commission was initially unveiled by the White House as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza and design its future governance.

But the leaked text of the board’s founding charter goes far beyond that purpose.

The text says the commission will be “an international organization dedicated to promoting stability, restoring reliable and legitimate governance, and ensuring lasting peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”

The peace commission’s charter will come into effect once three countries formally agree to be bound by it, with member states serving consecutive three-year terms and providing permanent seats to countries that contribute $1bn (£740m), the leaked document said.

The charter declares the body to be an international organization with the mandate to perform peacebuilding functions in accordance with international law, with Trump serving as chairman and solely as U.S. representative, with the power to appoint members of the executive board and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.

On Friday, the White House named seven founding executive committee members, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkopf, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

More countries have now said they will join, including Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Vatican said the pope had also received an invitation.