U.S. President Donald Trump has invited the leaders of a number of states to join the Board of Peace on Gaza. An invitation has been sent to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Our country has been offered the opportunity to become a founding member of the new international organization. What is the Board of Peace, who will join it, how has the Belarusian side reacted, and why would our country seek membership in this new organization… BelTA explains in this overview.
What we know about the Board of Peace
On 29 September 2025, the United States unveiled a comprehensive Trump plan for settling the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The document consisted of 20 points and included provisions for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, placing the enclave under external administration for a transitional period, the deployment of international stabilization forces, among other measures.
“Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza,” the document stated.
This committee was expected to be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the "Board of Peace," which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of state to be announced later.
Following the publication of the document, indirect negotiations between representatives of Israel and Hamas resumed through the mediation of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye. Then, on the night of 9 October, Trump announced that an agreement had been reached on the first phase of the peace plan. In November, the UN Security Council approved a resolution endorsing Trump’s peace plan. In December, U.S. President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that the first phase of the Gaza peace settlement had already yielded progress.
On 14 January the United States announced the start of the second phase of the Trump plan, which involves establishing structures for the governance of Gaza. On 16 January, a statement by the U.S. president was published on the White House website. It addressed the formation of the Board of Peace.
“The Board of Peace will play an essential role in fulfilling all 20 points of the President’s plan, providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development,” the statement read.
It also said that the Board of Peace would operate under the chairmanship of Donald Trump. The founding Executive Board will comprise U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president’s son-in-law and businessman Jared Kushner, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, President of the World Bank Ajay Banga, CEO of Apollo Global Management, billionaire Marc Rowan, U.S. deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
The U.S. president has also extended invitations to join the Board of Peace to the leaders of a number of states. It is known that, alongside Belarus, invitations were sent to Russia, India, Türkiye, the EU, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Egypt, Canada, and others.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the proposal to join the Board of Peace has been extended to approximately 60 states. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that membership in the Board of Peace is temporary – for three years. If a country plans to become a permanent member, it must contribute a fee of $1 billion. Decisions in the Board will be made by majority vote, but final approval will remain with the chairman. Western media also report that the mandate of the Board of Peace will not be limited to Gaza. It could become a global body that assumes a role similar to the UN in resolving conflicts in various regions of the world.
However, specifics on the composition, membership conditions, and mandate of the Board of Peace will only be available once official sources provide more details. This could happen as early as this week, on 22 January, when the United States approves the full text of the charter of the Board of Peace.
What did Trump’s personal message to Lukashenko say?
On 19 January, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko had received a personal letter from U.S. President Donald Trump. In this letter the American president invited Belarus to become a founding member of the Board of Peace in the context of resolving the situation in Gaza.
“Dear Mr. Lukashenka, it is my Great Honor to invite you, as President of the Republic of Belarus, to join me in a critically Historic and Magnificent effort to solidify Peace in the Middle East and, at the same time, to embark on a bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict!” the address reads.
The address also noted that the Board of Peace is the most impressive and consequential Board ever assembled, which will be established аs a new International Organization and Transitional Governing Administration. “Our effort will bring together a distinguished group of nations ready to shoulder the noble responsibility of building LASTING PEACE, an Honor reserved for those prepared to lead by example, and brilliantly invest in a secure and prosperous future for generations to come. We will convene our wonderful and committed partners, most of whom are Highly Respected World Leaders, in the near future,” the U.S. president’s letter said.
“As Chairman of the Board, I formally invite the Republic of Belarus to join as a Founding Member State, and become a party to the Charter of The Board of Peace, as represented by you. This Board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it! Each Member State may designate an authorized representative to attend and participate in meetings on its behalf. Enclosed are the Comprehensive Plan and the Board’s Charter, which is now open for your signature and ratification. I look forward to working with you, long into the future, toward the goal of establishing lasting WORLD PEACE, PROSPERITY, AND GREATNESS FOR ALL!” Donald Trump stressed.
What was Minsk’s response?
Belarus’ position and that of the country’s president regarding Trump’s address were outlined in a statement by spokesperson of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Varankov.
“The address proposes that Belarus, in the context of settling the situation in Gaza, become a founding member of the Board of Peace, a new international organization. We highly appreciate that the USA sees Belarus, and this is directly stated in the text of the address, as a state ready to assume the noble responsibility of building a durable peace, to lead by example, and to invest in a safe and prosperous future for generations to come,” the representative of the ministry said.
The address also noted that the Board of Peace is the most impressive and consequential Board ever assembled, which will be established аs a new International Organization and Transitional Governing Administration. “Our effort will bring together a distinguished group of nations ready to shoulder the noble responsibility of building LASTING PEACE, an Honor reserved for those prepared to lead by example, and brilliantly invest in a secure and prosperous future for generations to come. We will convene our wonderful and committed partners, most of whom are Highly Respected World Leaders, in the near future,” the U.S. president’s letter said.
“As Chairman of the Board, I formally invite the Republic of Belarus to join as a Founding Member State, and become a party to the Charter of The Board of Peace, as represented by you. This Board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it! Each Member State may designate an authorized representative to attend and participate in meetings on its behalf. Enclosed are the Comprehensive Plan and the Board’s Charter, which is now open for your signature and ratification. I look forward to working with you, long into the future, toward the goal of establishing lasting WORLD PEACE, PROSPERITY, AND GREATNESS FOR ALL!” Donald Trump stressed.
What was Minsk’s response?
Belarus’ position and that of the country’s president regarding Trump’s address were outlined in a statement by spokesperson of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Varankov.
“The address proposes that Belarus, in the context of settling the situation in Gaza, become a founding member of the Board of Peace, a new international organization. We highly appreciate that the USA sees Belarus, and this is directly stated in the text of the address, as a state ready to assume the noble responsibility of building a durable peace, to lead by example, and to invest in a safe and prosperous future for generations to come,” the representative of the ministry said.
The ministry has reported that the Belarusian leader has received Washington's proposal in a positive light. “Furthermore, we view this offer as an acknowledgment of the personal merits and international stature of the Belarusian head of state. The proposal has been conveyed to the president and received positively,” the spokesman added.
MFA photo
The statement also noted that Belarus is ready to participate in the work of the Board of Peace, expecting that the new international organization will broaden its scope and contribute to building a new security architecture.
The statement also noted that Belarus is ready to participate in the work of the Board of Peace, expecting that the new international organization will broaden its scope and contribute to building a new security architecture.
“Our position is clear: we are prepared to participate in the work of the Board of Peace, with the consideration and hope that this organization will expand its scope and authority far beyond the mandate outlined in the initiative. This will enable it to take an active part in global processes aimed at resolving any international conflicts, which will ultimately contribute to building a new security architecture – a goal Belarus has been actively promoting in recent years,” the statement said.
Why does Trump need the Board of Peace? And what is Belarus’ interest?
To outline the prospects of this new international organization, even in general terms, one must at least become familiar with its charter and understand what the final composition of the Board will be. Nevertheless, some conclusions can already be drawn.
First, the geography of the Board’s potential members indicates that Trump indeed conceived the organization as a global structure, whose activities cannot be limited solely to issues concerning Gaza. This is explicitly stated in Trump’s letter to Aleksandr Lukashenko, where the purpose of establishing the Board is described as “creating a new paradigm for resolving conflicts of global scale.”
Second, the Board of Peace was clearly envisioned as an entirely new organization, unrelated to existing international or regional platforms, and possibly positioned to compete with them.
Third, the decision of the Trump administration to invite states from different regions of the world may point to an effort to unite both Western and non-Western countries under one organization, with the United States serving as the connecting link.
Today, one thing is clear: the security architecture created after the Second World War no longer exists. In fact, the very concept of international law has largely disappeared. The current period is one of uncertainty, chaos, or “madness,” as the president of Belarus aptly noted earlier. In other words, it is a time of large-scale global redistribution and struggle for spheres of influence in conditions of a legal vacuum.
However, alongside the redivision of the world, a new security architecture is taking shape. And the United States undoubtedly wants to be at the forefront of this process. Although, of course, it is not just about security. The world is changing, with new centers of power emerging. For the USA, the only way to retain influence over the processes shaping the world order is to engage not from the outside, having detached itself from the Global Majority, but from within, by becoming an integral part of that majority.
In this context, the Board of Peace is seen, on the one hand, as a new international platform created under the conditions of the new world order. On the other hand, as a kind of elite club under the patronage of Washington, which will include strong regional players. For the Trump administration, this is, of course, both an image-building move and an opportunity to lobby for the U.S. interests, as well as to draw other states into its influence.
What does this mean for the future member states of the Board of Peace? Why does Belarus need it?
Undoubtedly, today we cannot predict what role the new organization will play in the world, or what influence it will have. However, as noted in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus hopes that the Board of Peace will broaden its scope and will be able to contribute to the settlement of international conflicts. And one such conflict is unfolding at our southern borders: on the territory of Ukraine. The situation on Belarus’ border with NATO countries is no less tense. To ensure the country’s security and achieve de-escalation, Minsk must use all available levers of influence.
Can the Board of Peace provide such levers? It is important to understand that this is an international platform where not only countries of the Global South, with many of which Minsk has built close, friendly relations, will be represented, but also Western countries, with which, whether we like it or not, it is necessary to engage in dialogue to reach de-escalation in our region. And in this regard, the Board of Peace could play a positive role.
Sooner or later, a new security architecture will take shape in Europe. Belarus must be an active participant in its formation if we want our interests to be fully taken into account. For Belarus, the Board of Peace represents one such opportunity. And when it comes to national security, no opportunity can be overlooked.
Vita KHANATAYEVA,
BelTA
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