The European nation has not joined the Trump-chaired panel despite being on its membership list, the foreign minister said
</p><div><p>Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot has denied that his country is participating in the 'Board of Peace' launched by US President Donald Trump in Davos on Thursday.
The controversial panel was inaugurated with a charter signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Prevot published his correction on Friday on X, after the White House press office listed Belgium as a member.
“Belgium has NOT signed the Peace Council Charter. This announcement is incorrect,” wrote the minister, adding that Brussels is a “common and coordinated European response” to Gaza and shares his reservations about the new body with other traditional US allies in Europe.
European Council President Antonio Costa echoed the concerns, saying: “We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the Peace Council Charter regarding its scope, governance and compatibility with the UN Charter.”
❗️Belgium has NOT signed the Peace Council Charter. This announcement is incorrect. We want a common and coordinated European response. Like many European countries, we have reservations about the proposal.@BelgiumMFA
— Maxime PREVOT (@prevotmaxime) January 22, 2026
Although ostensibly created to implement a Washington-brokered peace deal between Israel and Hamas, critics accuse the panel of overstepping its mandate, sidelining the United Nations and granting disproportionate power to the chairman – a position Trump holds.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the administration’s mission to improve conditions in Gaza and offered to contribute some of Russia’s sovereign wealth funds immobilized by the US for that purpose.
READ MORE:
Trump invites Canada from his ‘peace council’
A total of 19 officials joined Trump in the signing, including a representative of the partially recognized entity Kosovo. Egypt, also on the White House list, did not participate. Several countries said they supported the proposal but did not sign the charter.
Invitations have reportedly been sent to more than 50 countries, although Trump said he did not invite Canada after a public dispute with Prime Minister Mark Carney. The US is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council to join the board.
