Moscow, Feb 12 (IANS) Russia will not attend the first meeting of the US-led Board of Peace, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
In response to a question during a news briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated, “Russia will not take part in the [upcoming] Board of Peace meeting.”
Zakharova added that “work to formulate” Russia’s position on the Board of Peace is ongoing, the country’s leading news agency Tass reported.
The foreign ministry spokesperson’s remarks come as the US is set to host the first meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow was working to formulate its position about the Board of Peace and was considering “how warily many countries in the West and the East, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, have reacted to this idea.”
On January 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed Moscow’s readiness to spend USD 1 billion from assets frozen in the US on the Board of Peace. He announced that Russia was ready to do so even before it decides whether or not to be part of the initiative.
Last month, US President Donald Trump launched the Board of Peace at Davos, outlining a US-backed effort to lock in peace, open crossings, demilitarise armed groups, and begin a long-term reconstruction and economic revival in Gaza. The launch followed the signing of the Board of Peace charter.
“This is a very exciting day,” Trump said as he described the initiative as a shift from war to rebuilding.
Trump later framed Gaza’s future in economic terms, arguing that redevelopment and geography could reshape the territory’s prospects.
“I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location,” Trump said. “Look at this location on the sea. Look at this beautiful piece of property, what it could be for so many people.”
–IANS
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