Donald Trump wants to continue to “make peace”.Image: keystone
If US President Trump has his way, his “Peace Council” should replace the UN as a global platform. Germany has also already received an invitation.
Jan 19, 2026, 6:36 p.mJan 19, 2026, 6:36 p.m
US President Donald Trump wants to create a “Peace Council” that will compete with the United Nations to resolve conflicts around the world. For a permanent seat on the body, member states should pay a fee of one billion dollars (around 862 million euros), according to the initiative’s eight-page charter. Several countries, including Germany, have already received an invitation to join.
The “Peace Council” is an “international organization” with the aim of “promoting stability, restoring reliable and legitimate governance and ensuring lasting peace” in regions affected or threatened by war, the charter states.
This is in the charter of Trump’s “Peace Council”
The “Peace Council” was originally set up to oversee reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, but the charter does not explicitly mention the Palestinian territory. Rather, it gives the Council a broader role, namely a solution to armed conflicts in the world.
The “Bloomberg” agency initially revealed the amount of one billion dollars for a permanent seat. According to them, the amount entitles states to unlimited membership. Anyone who does not pay it is only entitled to a three-year seat on the board.
“Each member state has a mandate of a maximum of three years from the entry into force of this charter, which may be extended by the President (Trump),” the document says. However, the time limit does not apply to member states that “pay more than a billion dollars in cash to the Peace Council” in the first year after the charter comes into force.
Federal government wants to “consult with partners”
The “Peace Council” must “have the courage to break away from approaches and institutions that have all too often failed,” says the preamble to the draft charter, with a swipe at the United Nations. It will be a “more agile and efficient international organization for the consolidation of peace”. Trump had regularly criticized the UN and this month announced the US withdrawal from 66 international organizations.
According to the information, only states that are invited by Trump can belong to the council. Trump, who wants to take over the presidency, has already sent out several invitations, including to Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, both of whom are close to Trump.
Germany was also invited to become a member of the Council. The federal government will discuss with its partners how to deal with this invitation, said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius on Monday. He has not yet made a commitment for Germany to participate.
France is committed to the United Nations
After Trump’s invitation, France reaffirmed its commitment to the United Nations. This remains “the cornerstone of an effective multilateralism in which international law, the sovereign equality of states and the peaceful settlement of disputes take precedence over arbitrariness, balance of power and war,” explained the French Foreign Ministry. The EU Commission also confirmed that it had received an invitation.
The Kremlin had previously announced that President Putin had received an invitation “through diplomatic channels”. Russia is currently examining the details of the US offer, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The member states can vote on the decisions of the “Peace Council,” but Trump alone has the authority to approve them, the charter says. Trump can also exclude member states from the “Peace Council” and appoint his successor if he resigns from his position as chairman.