…Italy will not be joining Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative – PM, Giorgia Meloni
At the inauguration of the Board of Peace, former US President Donald Trump repeated his assertion that he had ended eight wars in the first year of his second presidency.
“One year ago, the war was on fire; things are calming down,” Mr Trump told the audience, in remarks that echoed his long-standing narrative of achieving global stability through his foreign policy.
The event, which aims to promote international conflict resolution, comes amid ongoing questions over the feasibility and scope of the initiative.
Speaking about NATO, Mr Trump praised member states that have increased defence spending in line with the alliance’s target.
However, he also issued a warning to Spain, saying the country “wants a free ride” and that he would need to discuss the issue with its leaders.
Spain has requested an opt-out from NATO’s increased spending target, a move that has drawn criticism from the US president.
In October, Mr Trump said Spain should be expelled from NATO if it failed to meet the alliance’s new spending requirements.
Italy Says It Cannot Yet Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
Italy will not be joining Mr Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, at least for now.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Italian television programme Porta a Porta that Rome was “open, willing and interested” in the proposal, which aims to resolve global conflicts.
However, she said there was an issue of “constitutional incompatibility” that prevented Italy from signing up immediately.
“We need more time,” she added, suggesting that the government may reconsider in the future.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was prepared to contribute $1 billion to Mr Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace”, which would make Russia a permanent member of the body.
Mr Putin suggested the funds could come from Russian assets frozen by the United States under the previous administration.
He also said that remaining frozen assets held in the US could be used to help rebuild areas damaged by fighting, if a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is reached.
Mr Putin added that discussions on the matter were ongoing with the US administration.
