WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump confirmed Monday he had invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to join his “Board of Peace.”
“Yes, he’s been invited,” Trump told a reporter in Florida who asked if he had asked Putin to join the body.
Trump said he will impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes, a move he claimed would push French President Emmanuel Macron to join Trump's Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.
When asked by a reporter about Macron saying he will not join the board, Trump said, "Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon."
"I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join," Trump said.
France intends to decline the invitation to join the initiative, at this stage, a source close to Macron said on Monday.
Trump originally proposed establishing the Board of Peace when he announced last September his plan to end the war in Gaza. But an invitation sent to world leaders last week outlines a broad role ending conflicts globally.
A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the U.S. administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.
Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to Trump's invitation, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.
