Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an official invitation to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly proposed “Board of Peace” for the Gaza Strip, the Kremlin confirmed Monday.
“We are currently reviewing all the details of this offer, and we hope to establish contact with the American side to clarify all the nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax. Russia maintains active contacts with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU.
Putin invited to join Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, Kremlin sayshttps://t.co/QalPFeQZ83
— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2026
Moscow welcomed the invitation as an opportunity to reaffirm Russia’s role in the Middle East and enhance international engagement despite its ongoing war in Ukraine. While Putin has previously expressed support for Trump’s efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, no resolution has been achieved.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also received an invitation. “We are ready to participate in the activity of the Peace Board and expect and hope that the organization will greatly expand its scope and powers beyond the limits of the initiative,” Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varankou said.
Donald Trump has personally invited Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to join his new “Peace Council” in the context of resolving the situation in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/zHlBnPTWm1
— Brian McDonald (@27khv) January 19, 2026
Other leaders invited to join the board include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Argentine President Javier Milei. The board forms part of the second phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which envisions a permanent end to the war and the disarmament of Hamas, a goal the Palestinian militia opposes.
The Board of Peace is designed to supervise a committee of Palestinian experts who will manage Gaza’s daily administration. Trump will chair the board, which also includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The invitations, extended via diplomatic channels, highlight Trump’s continued efforts to assert U.S. influence in the Middle East while leveraging international figures—including longstanding geopolitical rivals—for regional initiatives.
