Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an invitation to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” a high-profile initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts and overseeing governance and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, the Kremlin announced Monday.
For years, Moscow sought to maintain a delicate balance in the Middle East, cultivating ties with both Israel and the Palestinians.
However, in the wake of Israel's attacks on Gaza and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Putin has increasingly distanced himself from Israel, strengthening relations with regional rivals such as Iran.
At the same time, Moscow has pursued closer ties with Gulf states amid growing Western isolation.
“President Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Russia is seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer with Washington, he said, without specifying whether the Kremlin chief is inclined to join.
The White House has reached out to various figures around the world to sit on the so-called “Board of Peace,” chaired by the U.S. president himself.
Putin has previously praised Trump’s efforts to resolve conflicts.
“He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades,” Putin said last October.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Putin added, “If we succeed in achieving everything Donald has strived for... it will be a historic event.”
The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow’s traditionally strong relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.
The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 incursion and called for restraint.
“The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word,” Putin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti at a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas last May.
“Russia, as a friend of the Palestinian people, is trying to provide regular assistance,” the Russian president added.
