President Donald Trump said Friday he has withdrawn an invitation for Canada to join the U.S.-led Board of Peace for Gaza, informing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of the decision in a public post on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
“Dear Prime Minister Carney,” Trump wrote. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The move comes amid months of strained relations between Trump and Carney, driven in part by Trump’s repeated remarks about annexing Canada and his claims that large amounts of drugs enter the United States from its northern neighbor. Tensions have intensified in recent days as Trump has also pushed to assert U.S. control over Greenland and posted images on Truth Social that critics say hint at a desire to absorb Canada, something he has suggested previously. Trump has also imposed tariffs on Canada, which along with the United States and Mexico is set to co-host the men’s soccer World Cup this year.
Canada received the invitation to join the Board of Peace last week, and Carney signaled he was prepared to accept. He made clear, however, that Canada would not pay the $1 billion fee Trump has demanded for permanent membership. Speaking Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney urged world leaders to push back against Trump’s “America First” approach and what he described as efforts to undermine the global order established after World War II.
Those remarks appeared to anger Trump, who addressed Davos a day later and said that the planned “Golden Dome” U.S. missile defense system, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome, would also protect Canada. “Carney wasn’t very grateful in his speech,” Trump said.
European participation in the Board of Peace remains uncertain. Britain and France have said they will not join. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Friday he might consider joining under revised terms. “I would be willing to join for the sake of Gaza, but we cannot accept its governance structures in Germany for constitutional reasons,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she has asked Trump to amend the board’s terms to resolve constitutional concerns that could prevent Italy from joining. Under Italian law, Rome can join international bodies only if all member states have equal standing, a condition Meloni said is not met because of the “broad executive powers” granted to Trump.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the European Union has raised concerns about the board’s authority. In a confidential report written Monday by the EU’s diplomatic service and seen by Reuters, officials warned about the concentration of power in the hands of the U.S. president. The report said the Board of Peace charter poses problems for fundamental European Union constitutional principles and that the independence of the EU’s legal system conflicts with concentrating authority in the hands of the chair. It also said the board goes well beyond the mandate approved by the U.N. Security Council in a November resolution limited to the Gaza conflict.
Trump announces Board of Peace in Davos
(Photo: Reuters)
Trump formally announced the creation of the Board of Peace on Thursday at the Davos forum, where leaders who agreed to participate signed its charter. In his opening remarks, Trump touted his foreign policy record. “There is peace in the Middle East. Nobody thought it was possible,” he said, also claiming another war, referring to Russia and Ukraine, would soon end.
Trump has cast the Board of Peace as an ambitious alternative to the United Nations, which he has repeatedly criticized. While saying the board would cooperate with the U.N., Trump said he did not rely on the organization when he claims to have ended eight wars. “They tried to stop them, but they didn’t try hard enough,” he said.
A senior White House official told The Associated Press that 60 countries were invited to join the board and that 35 have accepted so far. Trump will serve as chair. Although the charter does not explicitly state the term, CNN and Reuters reported that Trump is expected to serve as chair for life, even after leaving the presidency. The charter specifies that Trump will serve as chair while also acting as the U.S. representative to the board.