World
Canada booted from Board of Peace after Carney declines $1 billion fee
Spain, France and the UK have also expressed reservations over the organisation’s role and the prospective involvement of Russian President Putin
January 23, 2026 11:45
Spain, France and the UK have also expressed reservations over the organisation’s role and the prospective involvement of Russian President Putin
January 23, 2026 11:45US President Trump has withdrawn his invitation to Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, to sit on the Board of Peace (BoP) after the latter refused to pay the $1 billion charge for a permanent position.
The BoP, originally devised as a mechanism for governing post-war Gaza but now seemingly a UN-style international organisation, will be composed of top national leaders from across the globe.
Trump will serve as the body’s inaugural chair and will be able to select his successor personally.
Among those already signed up are Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani of Qatar.
However, Carney, who had confirmed receipt of an invitation last week, has now been given the cold shoulder.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”
The withdrawal came after Ottawa said it would not cough up the $1 billion demanded by Washington for a permanent seat on the board. Any leaders not willing to pay will be limited to a three-year term.
Elsewhere, Spain confirmed it would not accept its place on the board, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez citing the country’s commitment to the UN and established international legal frameworks.
President Macron of France had already refused to join up after Trump announced that Russia’s Vladimir Putin would sit on the board – though this is yet to be confirmed by Moscow.
And the UK snubbed the signing ceremony for the BoP’s founding charter in Davos on Thursday for the same reason, although the Foreign Office has yet to issue an official reply to the invitation given to Prime Minister Starmer.
Speaking during that ceremony, Trump said: “We have peace in the Middle East, nobody thought that was possible.
"This board has the chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created, and it’s my enormous honour to serve as its chairman...just about every country wants to be a part of it.”
And, addressing the fellow world leaders on stage, he went on: “They’re friends of mine, let me see, yeah every one of them is a friend of mine.
"Actually, of this group I like every single one of them, can you believe it? Usually, I have two or three that I can’t stand."
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