Trump anoints Putin to Gaza board

Donald Trump has invited Russia's Vladimir Putin on to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza as a member of his 'Board of Peace' even as Putin continues to wage his own unfettered war in Ukraine. Kremlin officials announced that President Putin received the offer via US diplomatic channels and is currently 'studying all the details of this proposal' before accepting. 'We hope for a contact with the American side so that we can clarify all the details,' Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

Trump last week formally established the peace committee as part of his peace plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas. The committee, which will be chaired by Trump, will oversee the governance of Gaza. Meanwhile, European leaders are shocked by Trump's brazen efforts to charge countries a $1 billion fee to have a permanent spot on the peace board. After inviting leaders from more than 60 countries to join the Gaza Board of Peace, which will oversee the disarmament of Hamas, the US informed various nations that they must contribute 'at least one billion dollars.' European leaders appeared hesitant to make public statements supporting the peace committee as fears grow it will undermine the United Nations.

The erosion of relations between European leaders and the Trump administration has been gleefully welcomed by pundits on Russian state TV. The souring of relations between Western Europe and the US has been described as a dream for Moscow. One Russian state TV pundit described the development with joy stating, 'This is truly tremendous for Russia!' It comes as Trump has ramped up his pressure campaign on Denmark and other European allies to hand over control of Greenland to the United States. The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.

Trump's invitation to Putin comes after the Kremlin leader has spent four years waging a bloody full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed large parts of the Eastern European nation. The White House also sent out invitations to the countries of Egypt, India, Turkey, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Canadian Prime Mark Carney has announced that his country will join Trump's peace board but will not pay for the $1 billion fee for the permanent seat. Only three countries have accepted Trump's invitation as of Monday morning: the leaders of Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.

'Hungary's efforts for peace are being recognised. President Trump has invited Hungary to join the work of The Board of Peace as a founding member. We have, of course, accepted this honourable invitation,' said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The executive committee of the peace board will also include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, along with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and other Trump allies. Blair, however, has distanced himself from Trump's demand that countries pay for permanent membership. The former British prime minister refused to endorse the fee and his spokesperson said he is not involved in determining the board's membership.