by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
DAVOS/MADRID/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Spain will not take part in the Board of Peace initiative launched by U.S. President Donald J. Trump to tackle global conflicts, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday, citing Madrid’s commitment to multilateral diplomacy and the United Nations system.
Sánchez told reporters after an EU summit in Brussels that Spain appreciated the invitation but believed peace efforts should remain grounded in established international frameworks such as the UN.
The Board of Peace was formally launched by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, where he said the body would help mediate ceasefires, coordinate security arrangements, and support rebuilding in post-conflict regions.
Despite Spain’s refusal, several countries attended the launch or have agreed to join the initiative, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, according to diplomatic sources.
HUNGARY, BULGARIA PARTICIPATE, OTHERS DECLINE
Among European Union members, only Hungary and Bulgaria have joined or signed the Board of Peace charter so far, making them the exceptions among EU states that have largely declined to participate.
Most other EU countries, including France, Germany, Britain, and Spain, have expressed caution or have refused to participate, amid concerns that the board could rival or undermine the United Nations’ role in global peace efforts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly accepted an invitation to join the Board of Peace this week, marking a notable endorsement from a key U.S. partner in the Middle East.
Trump has argued that existing institutions have failed to stop wars, saying the board would provide a new platform to resolve conflicts more effectively.
$1 BILLION CONTRIBUTION CLAUSE SPARKS QUESTIONS
Yet leaked draft documents circulating among invited governments indicate that countries would be limited to three-year terms unless they contribute $1 billion to secure permanent membership and help fund the board’s work.
The White House, however, has described reporting about a mandatory fee as “misleading,” saying there is no minimum payment required to join and that contributions would be voluntary demonstrations of commitment.
Critics, including European officials, have warned that the board’s structure and mandate remain unclear and could weaken long-standing multilateral mechanisms centered on the U.N. Charter.
The Trump-backed Board of Peace, launched in Davos, Switzerland, aims to bring together willing nations to address major conflicts through direct diplomacy, reconstruction planning, and security coordination.
Its uneven reception—embraced by some Middle Eastern and Asian states but rejected by key EU powers such as Spain—highlights the growing debate over whether new peace initiatives should operate outside traditional U.N.-led frameworks.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Iran’s rulers were quietly preparing for a broader and potentially prolonged Middle East war even as Tehran publicly engaged in diplomatic efforts with the United States, according to an exclusive investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Sunday that he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” military exercises with key regional ally South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to assist Washington in its confrontation with Iran.
Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six more bodies Sunday following a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake, raising the death toll to at least 53 as Christians prayed for victims and rescuers struggled to reach isolated communities.
The U.S. Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Christianity and Western civilization this fall in the schools it operates for military families, while casting Islam as a threat to both.
New York’s Jewish community was reeling Sunday as a judge ordered a man held on bail after prosecutors said he admitted to disrupting Shabbat services at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and assaulting two people there.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten faced mounting pressure Sunday after two people died in a traffic accident linked to a farmers’ protest, while his government was drawn into a separate controversy over a prominent statesman’s comparison involving Israel and Nazi Germany.
Amid mounting military cooperation, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed deepening ties with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked the anniversary of “independence from Japan’s colonial rule,” state media reported Sunday.