Donald Trump is expected to ask some countries for $1 billion in exchange for permanent membership on a new international group he’s calling the Board of Peace, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Bloomberg said it reviewed a draft charter describing Trump as the board’s inaugural chairman, with the authority to decide which nations can join.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft says, per Bloomberg.
A U.S. official said the $1 billion contribution would secure permanent membership, but added that countries would not be required to pay anything to join. Nations that don’t contribute would still be able to serve a three-year term before their membership ends.
Bloomberg noted that the charter “appears to suggest Trump himself would control the money,” which the draft says would be used to help rebuild Gaza. Under the reported terms, Trump would also have the power to remove member states, unless a two-thirds majority of the other members vetoed the decision. Bloomberg reported that Trump has invited Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to participate.
On Monday, Jan. 19, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Trump also invited President Vladimir Putin to join, per The Guardian. Peskov said Putin was working to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer before responding.
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This development comes as Putin continues to resist withdrawing troops from Ukraine amid a nearly four-year war. The United Nations reported in November that the conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people, including more than 50,000 civilian casualties.
The White House was contacted for confirmation of Bloomberg’s reporting and the Kremlin’s statements.
Trump publicly announced the formation of the Board of Peace on Truth Social on Jan. 15, after first signaling interest in the idea last fall.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed,” he wrote. “The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
In another post, Trump said he would be “backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board’s High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition,” adding that the leaders are “unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future!”
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On Jan. 16, the White House announced on its website that a founding Executive Board comprised of Secretary Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Sir Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel would be used to “operationalize the Board of Peace’s vision.”
The White House also said Trump appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisors to the Board of Peace, “charged with leading day-to-day strategy and operations, and translating the Board’s mandate and diplomatic priorities into disciplined execution.”
The Board of Peace has been framed as part of Trump’s broader criticism of the United Nations. Trump has repeatedly attacked the U.N., including during remarks at the organization’s 80th session in Sept. 2025.
“What is the point of the United Nations? You do nothing to support the end of war, other than write a pathetic letter or two, which does nothing,” he said of the assembly. “Empty words don’t solve wars… A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter is all I got from the United Nations.”
