Belgian Foreign Minister's Strong Statement: Trump is Trying to Replace the UN with the Peace Board

2026-01-21 08:55:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Belgian Foreign Minister's Strong Statement: Trump is Trying to Replace the

"US President Donald Trump is trying to replace the United Nations with his 'Peace Board', which is supposed to be transitional," Maxime Prévot told Euronews.

Speaking to Euronews in Davos on Tuesday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot accused United States President Donald Trump of seeking to replace the United Nations system with the Peace Board, a body created to administer post-war Gaza.

While it remains unclear exactly how many leaders have been invited to join the body, Prévot told Euronews that Belgium has not been invited, calling the project completely unacceptable and adding that Trump was trying to create his own personal board.

Trump began inviting world leaders to join the Peace Board on January 16 in exchange for a $1 billion fee, stating that the body aimed to foster a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.

The new and established positioning of the Peace Board has sparked great speculation about whether this body could become a rival to the UN Security Council, which was created after World War II.

Acknowledging the UN's shortcomings, Prévot stressed the importance of reforming it from within, referring to the UN80 initiative, which already aims to merge certain agencies to create new opportunities for the UN to increase its efficiency.

Prévot also noted the possibility of creating new opportunities within the UN Security Council for African, Latin American and Asian countries.

"The protection of international law is essential for a middle-class country like Belgium," he declared, adding that creating something new to bypass the United Nations is certainly not the path Belgium intends to follow.

The US is expected to share details about the Peace Board membership list in the coming days, with speculation rife that the announcement will be made during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, which runs in Davos until January 23.

Trump's Peace Board plans have further escalated tensions between the US and its European partners, which are already high due to Trump's increased threats to invade Greenland in recent days and refusal to rule out the use of military force.

On Monday, a French official close to President Emmanuel Macron said that despite receiving an invitation, France did not plan to join the Peace Board at this stage. The official stressed that plans for such a body raised questions about respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations.

In response to Monday's news that Macron was unlikely to accept France, Trump told reporters: "Nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon."

"I will impose a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he will join," he said, "but he is not obliged to join."

Europe must strengthen its autonomy

Prévot told Euronews that Europe should prioritize strengthening its strategic autonomy, specifically in the military, technology and energy sectors.

"We can no longer blindly rely on the security provided by the US," he said, warning that "otherwise this could lead to a weakened Europe."/ CNA