European leaders rushed to praise Donald Trump’s announcement of a peace deal in the Middle East. Now they’re not so sure they want anything to do with it. Trump promoted his “Board of Peace” as an integral part of his plan for post-conflict governance in Gaza from the start, sparking jockeying for position on the panel. Now that details of the board’s operation have come into focus, they have triggered alarm among some key European allies who were due to be part of it. In particular, skeptics point out that the board’s charter makes no direct reference to Gaza and appears to hand it a broad mandate to resolve global conflicts which some fear could effectively create a shadow United Nations. The decision to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate has in particular unnerved America’s traditional allies on the continent, and countries seeking a permanent seat on the peace board have been asked to contribute at least $1 billion to participate, creating another political obstacle. These terms are proving too much for some European leaders to bear, with misgivings even among those seen as friendly with the White House such as Italy’s Georgia Meloni and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki — just as Trump’s effort to acquire Greenland has driven a wedge between him and his most fervent political supporters in Europe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk summed up the mood among Trump’s detractors when he posted on X: “We will not let anyone play us.”
Europe backs away from Trump’s Board of Peace (Esther Webber – Politico)
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