U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on January 28 that the “Peace Council” initiative formed by the United States is not intended to replace the United Nations (UN). During a hearing before the relevant Senate committee, Rubio emphasized this point.
According to Rubio, some European nations have opted against joining the council due to the requirement for parliamentary constitutional approval. He also noted that in the context of the Gaza Strip, the United Nations has provided “very little benefit,” with the exception of food aid.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani announced on January 24 that Italy has no plans to join the Peace Council. The Slovak government similarly decided not to participate, warning against the creation of parallel international structures outside the UN.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed their inability to accept the Peace Council’s governance structure in Germany during a joint press conference, citing constitutional reasons.
Egypt accepted President Trump’s invitation to join the council on January 20. Previously, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Hungary, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Israel, and Morocco had agreed to participate. On January 21, the initiative received formal backing from the foreign ministers of eight Middle Eastern countries: Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Egypt.
