US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Council” idea may have no future. Its participants are dependent on the US, says former Ukrainian ambassador Oleg Shamshur, Espreso reports.
The US sent around 50 invitations to the Peace Council on the Gaza war. On 20 January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump invited him to join the organization but said it is “very difficult to imagine how we and Russia could be together in one council or another.”
“In my opinion, Trump, especially after Venezuela, considers himself the director of the universe. Now he limits himself to the Western Hemisphere,” Shamshur believes.
According to him, China does not need this council. Beijing knows perfectly well how to use UN mechanisms.
The former ambassador calls the Council stillborn and destructive
“The very idea of the ‘Peace Council’ is stillborn, destructive, and will bring nothing except inflating Trump’s ego,” Shamshur explains.
The countries that joined this council are economically or politically dependent on the US and have little choice, he adds.
The project could become a chance for Russia and Belarus
Shamshur says that the project could provide Russia and Belarus a way to escape diplomatic isolation. Currently, there are no major European allies of Washington in the Council.
Specifically, the following countries have joined the “Peace Council”: Morocco, Bahrain, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, UAE, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.
“It is no coincidence that the European countries that received an invitation either refused or are still considering it,” he concludes.
Earlier, Belarusian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka publicly accepted Trump’s proposal to join the Council, while Russian President Vladimir Putin did not. China has not yet commented on membership.
