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UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper has said that Britain will not attend Thursday’s signing ceremony for US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in Davos.
Speaking to the BBC from a Swiss town, Cooper explained that the UK would not be among the signatories as there was still significant work to be done. She added that the government had reservations about the legal and diplomatic implications of the charter.
“There’s a huge amount of work to do; we won’t be one of the signatories today.”
She further noted that the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces are still active in Ukraine, raised serious concerns, as the Kremlin had shown no indication of a commitment to peace in the region.
“Because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues, and we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” Cooper said.
The ceremony, which Trump is hosting in Davos, is meant to formalise the charter for his $1 billion membership body for resolving international conflicts.
Invitations were reportedly sent to dozens of world leaders. While the board was initially intended to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, its charter does not appear to be limited to the region and has drawn criticism from some US allies, including France.
Trump on Wednesday reportedly said Putin had agreed to join, although the Kremlin has stated it is still reviewing the invitation.
