- US President Trump invited Zelensky to join a US-brokered Board of Peace
- Zelensky doubts Ukraine and Russia can cooperate on the same peace council
- Trump’s Board of Peace requires $1 billion payment for a permanent membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US President Donald Trump had invited him to join the "Board of Peace" that was formed to implement the US-brokered peace plan between Israel and Hamas. However, Zelensky told reporters that it is "very hard" for him to imagine how Russia and Ukraine could work together in a council.
"We did receive the invitation; our diplomats are working on it," Zelensky told reporters, adding, however, that "it's still very hard for me to imagine how we and Russia could be together in any kind of council."
The Kremlin also confirmed on Monday that Russia has been invited to join the Board of Peace. The invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin comes five years into his war with Ukraine, which killed 15,000 civilians and hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both countries.
Trump is reportedly asking countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent spot on his "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts. The council will be chaired by Trump. Member states must be invited by the US president and will be represented by their head of state or government.
Dozens of countries and leaders have said they have received an invitation. They include China, India, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump's announcement of the 'Board of Peace' comes at the same time he is threatening to take over Greenland. Although the board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza, the charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel has also been asked to join Trump's Board of Peace that will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, an Israeli official said Monday, while France is holding off accepting for now.
