United States President Donald Trump said that he would “love to have China and Russia” join the Board of Peace he instituted as a way to “stabilize” Gaza in the aftermath of the war with Israel.

“They’ve been invited. You need both. You need all persuasions. No discrimination,” Trump was quoted as saying while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday,

Moscow suggested that it was considering Trump’s invitation. In January, President Vladimir Putin also floated contributing $1 billion sourced from Russian sovereign assets frozen in the US – the exact fee for a permanent seat – even before a final membership decision was reached. Moscow, however, said it had not yet received a response to the proposal.

China has already declined, citing its commitment to “true multilateralism” and the United Nations-centered international system.

Trump also claimed that a lot of other countries had already joined the board, and that “we have a lot that are going through the process of getting on.”

Trump’s remarks came after the board held its inaugural meeting in Washington, drawing heads of state and senior officials from around 40 countries. Over 20 nations have accepted the American invitation to join the board, with roughly 35 others expressing interest in the idea.

However, several major Western countries – including Germany, France, the UK, and Italy – declined the offer. While some said they were concerned that the body could undermine the UN authority, others cited potential Russian involvement. –RT

The Board of Peace was formally established on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. The board is chaired by Trump for life and tasked with overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction and ceasefire implementation. The body has also been criticized for having no Palestinian representation, even as Israel has accepted the invitation to join.

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