Putin does not belong on Gaza ‘Board of Peace’, says Cooper after Trump invite

Picture: Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool.

Vladimir Putin does not belong on the so-called Board of Peace for Gaza, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said, after Donald Trump confirmed he had invited the Russian president to join.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Ms Cooper said: “Putin is not a man of peace, and I don’t think he belongs in any organisation with peace in the name.” She added that the “most important organisation” for the future of the territory is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is made up of Palestinians.

“Gaza should be run by Palestinians. That is crucial, and that is what we should now be supporting to take forward,” Ms Cooper said.

Her comments came after Green Party Westminster leader Ellie Chowns branded Mr Trump’s decision to invite Mr Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “frankly utterly extraordinary”.

Noting that the Board of Peace “doesn’t include any Palestinians and almost no women”, Dr Chowns said: “It is clear that the Board of Peace is utterly unfit to contribute to the task of peace-building.” She added that it would be “inappropriate” for Britain – or Britons – to participate in it.

Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair has been announced by the White House as part of the Board of Peace, alongside Mr Trump as chairman, US secretary of state Marco Rubio, and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Board of Peace is part of the US president’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, intended to oversee the transition and manage reconstruction efforts.

On Monday, the Kremlin said the Russian president had received an offer to sit on the board, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying Moscow was “studying all details of this offer”.

Asked on Monday if he had invited Mr Putin to join the Board of Peace, Mr Trump told reporters in Florida: “The answer is yes, I did.” He also invited French President Emmanuel Macron and threatened him with tariffs when he declined.

The US president said: “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes. And he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join.”