UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper says Britain will not sign the ‘Board of Peace’ charter, citing concerns over Russia’s Vladimir Putin’s inclusion.
LONDON: Britain will not participate in the signing ceremony for US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in Davos.
Foreign minister Yvette Cooper (pic) confirmed the UK would not be a signatory to the founding charter of the conflict resolution body, which carries a $1 billion fee for permanent membership.
“There’s a huge amount of work to do, we won’t be one of the signatories today,” Cooper told BBC television from the Swiss resort.
She cited UK concerns about the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“We do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” she added.
Invitations were sent to dozens of world leaders for the vaguely defined grouping.
Originally conceived to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, the board’s charter does not limit its role and appears to rival the United Nations.
This has drawn criticism from some US allies, including France.
Trump said on Wednesday that Putin had agreed to join, despite the Kremlin stating it was still studying the invitation.
