‘Things are really calming down’

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that “things are really calming down” as he joined other world leaders at a signing ceremony for his “Board of Peace” at Davos.

“Just one year ago the world was actually on fire, a lot of people didn’t know it,” Trump told the audience, as he again claimed to have ended eight wars.

Trump appeared to touch on those concerns in his opening remarks at the signing ceremony for the board, originally intended to help end the Gaza war, saying the new board would work with the UN as he listed other major diplomatic issues around the region and worldwide.

“Well, this is a very exciting day, long in the making, and many countries have just received their notice, and everybody wants to be a part of it, and we’ll work with many others, including the United Nations,” he said.

Trump, who will chair the board, has invited dozens of other world leaders to join it and sees the grouping addressing other global challenges beyond the stuttering Gaza truce, though he does not intend it to replace the United Nations, he has said.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban were among those to sign papers on stage, as well as leaders from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan and Kosovo.

The Board of Peace’s potential membership has however proved controversial, with Trump having invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine four years ago.

Russia said late on Wednesday it was studying the proposal after Trump said it would join. France has declined. Britain said yesterday it was not joining at present. China has not yet said whether it will join, reports Reuters.

However, around 35 countries have committed to join including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey.

Permanent members must also pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay to play” version of the UN Security Council.

The board’s creation was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, and UN spokesperson Rolando Gomez said yesterday that UN engagement with the board would only be in that context.