US considering creating 'Board of Peace' for Ukraine, modeled after plan for Gaza, FT reports
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
American officials have put forward the idea of expanding the Gaza 'Board of Peace' to include other countries affected by war and conflicts, including Ukraine and Venezuela, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Jan. 16.
The potential plan is reportedly modeled off U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for the post-war reconstruction of Gaza. The details on a potential Board of Peace for Ukraine were not immediately clear.
Trump initially announced his Gaza Board of Peace on Jan. 15 in a post on Truth Social, signalling the start of the second phase of the U.S.-led plan to establish long-term peace between Israel and Palestine. The board, chaired by Trump, is likely to take temporary charge of Gaza’s administration and reconstruction efforts.
Trump named several world leaders to the Board on Jan. 16, including Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The list, which is expected to be fully unveiled in Davos at the World Economic Forum next week, also includes top officials involved in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Reports on a proposed Ukraine-focused board come as President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with Trump on the sidelines in Davos, and will oversee the signing of an $800 billion, ten-year Economic Prosperity Plan aimed at reviving Ukraine’s economy once hostilities end.
While details on a potential Board of Peace for Ukraine were sparse, a person briefed with the proposal told FT that the Trump administration views the concept "as a potential substitute for the UN... a kind of parallel unofficial body to deal with other conflicts beyond Gaza."
The Kyiv Independent has reached out to the State Department for comment.
A senior Ukrainian official hailed to FT the prospects of a Board of Peace on Ukraine as an important part of implementing a sustained peace in Ukraine. The official noted that the board, which would be chair by Trump, would potentially include Ukrainian, European, Russian, and NATO representatives.
Zelensky, on Dec. 26, said that a 20-point peace plan was 90% complete. On Jan. 12, Zelensky said that he instructed Ukraine's negotiating team to finalize a security guarantees document with the U.S. and submit it for review "at the highest level."
Several Western countries have considered sending troops as part of a post-war deployment of a multinational force to ensure a peace deal is maintained. Earlier this month, France and Britain signed a declaration of intent to participate in the deployment as co-chairs of the Coalition of the Willing.
European leaders, who are set to meet with the Zelensky and Trump on Jan. 21, are expected to engage Trump on securing U.S. approval for the deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine after a ceasefire.
For months, Trump has led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to no avail. While Kyiv has in-principal agreed to several U.S.-backed peace proposals amid the negotiations, Moscow has continuously rejected a ceasefire as it continues to wage the war it launched nearly four years ago.
Despite Moscow intensifying attacks against civilian infrastructure, plunging much of Kyiv into a bitter cold, Trump on Jan. 15 suggested that it was Ukraine that was not ready to end the war.
"I think (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) ready to make a deal. I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal," Trump claimed, saying that President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding up the effort.
"We have to get President Zelensky to go along with it," he said.
