Donald Trump has claimed the world is “richer, safer and much more peaceful than it was just one year ago” as he hosted a launch event for his “board of peace” initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
At a signing ceremony for the new organisation, the US president said it would be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created in the history of the world”.
The board, to be chaired by Trump, was initially mooted as part of his plan for a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, more recently he has suggested the board could take on a much broader geopolitical role. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether the fledgling body should replace the UN, Trump said: “It might.”
Leaders from 19 countries signed on to the president’s plan during a ceremony Thursday, including Argentina, Kosovo, Morocco, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan and more nations are expected to join the effort,
Trump has also invited Russian president Vladimir Putin, whose military is still attacking Ukraine, to join his board. Putin has said Moscow is still consulting with “strategic partners” before deciding whether to commit to the plan.
That ruffled the feathers of some dignitaries, including the British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, who said the UK won’t be joining Trump’s “board of peace” for now. Other nations not joining at the moment include France, Germany and Norway.
Some diplomats had warned that Trump might hope the organisation would supplant the United Nations, but the US president claimed the two could work together.
Canada had also been considering joining – that is before Trump’s Thursday night Truth Social post addressed to Canadian prime minister Mark 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 US president wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’
The board, to be chaired by Trump, was initially mooted as part of his plan for a ceasefire in Gaza. However, more recently he has suggested the board could take on a much broader geopolitical role. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether the fledgling body should replace the UN, Trump said: “It might.”
Greenland says red lines must be respected as Trump says US will have ‘total’ access to island
Greenland has demanded its red lines on sovereignty be respected after Trump claimed an agreement with Nato would give the US full and permanent access to the Arctic island, the object of an increasingly bitter months-long dispute.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, said on Thursday he did not know what was in the deal but the largely self-governing territory wanted a “peaceful dialogue” with the US, and its sovereignty was non-negotiable.
House rejects resolution that would bar Trump from sending troops to Venezuela
The US House has rejected a resolution that would have prevented Trump from sending US military forces to Venezuela, after a vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage.
Get out of Greenland mode and stand up for yourself, Zelenskyy tells Europe
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken aim at Europe in a fiery speech at Davos, accusing leaders of being in “Greenland mode” as they waited for leadership from Trump on Ukraine and other geopolitical crises rather than taking action themselves.
The Ukrainian president’s call-to-arms, targeting some of Kyiv’s top allies, capped a week of extraordinary diplomatic drama at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort, where European leaders scrambled to end a standoff with the White House over Greenland, and several western leaders – led by Canada’s Mark Carney – called for stronger pushback against Trump’s territorial ambitions and political whims.
Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez assured US of cooperation before Maduro's capture
Before the US military snatched Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this month, Delcy Rodríguez and her powerful brother pledged to cooperate with the Trump administration once the strongman was gone, four sources involved at high levels with the discussions told the Guardian.
Rodríguez, who was sworn in on 5 January as acting president to replace Maduro, and her brother Jorge, the head of the national assembly, secretly assured US and Qatari officials through intermediaries ahead of time that they would welcome Maduro’s departure, according to the sources.
Democrats condemn ICE after five-year-old detained with father in US raid
Democratic lawmakers are lashing out at Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents detained a five-year-old Minnesota boy with his father and transported them to Texas, with one congressman calling for the agency to be disbanded.
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White House posts digitally altered image of woman arrested at ICE protest
The White House posted a digitally altered image of a woman who was arrested on Thursday in a case touted by the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to make it seem as if she was dramatically crying, a Guardian analysis of the image has found.
Trump sues JPMorgan Chase and Jamie Dimon for at least $5bn
Donald Trump has reportedly sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, for at least $5bn after accusing America’s largest bank of declining to offer him banking services in the wake of the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.
Analysis: What’s in Trump’s Greenland ‘deal’ and will it last?
The outline deal struck by Mark Rutte and Donald Trump to step up Nato’s presence in the Arctic – so long as it does not undermine the sovereignty of Greenland or Denmark – has been available to the US for some time, but it will require new resources being devoted to the central task of monitoring Russian ship movements in the region.
Jack Smith testifies on Trump cases at Republican-led House panel
Jack Smith, the former special counsel, has defended his decision to seek criminal charges against Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in his first and perhaps only public appearance to discuss the cases after they were dropped last year.
What else happened today:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer fund research that uses human fetal tissue obtained from “elective” abortions, the world’s biggest public funder of biomedical research announced on Thursday.
Two people were arrested on Thursday morning in connection with a controversial protest at a Minnesota church on Sunday, Pam Bondi posted on social media.
The Trump administration will block organizations that receive US foreign aid from subsidizing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and what the administration calls “gender ideology”. The new policy will affect about $30bn in foreign assistance.
A man accused of a murder-for-hire plot targeting a top US border patrol leader was found not guilty on Thursday in Chicago, the latest high-profile prosecution by the Department of Justice to fall apart in court.
Donald Trump has again disparaged America’s Nato allies, claiming that troops from allied nations “stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines” while fighting in Afghanistan in support of the US campaign against the Taliban.
Donald Trump’s youngest son said he was “very close” to an alleged rape victim after raising the alarm about a suspected assault against her, a court has heard.
A powerful winter storm is set to sweep across much of the US this weekend, bringing potentially record-breaking cold, heavy snow and ice that forecasters warn could cause hazardous conditions, potential power outages and travel disruptions.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 21 January 2026.
