The "Peace Council" is an international mechanism proposed by US President Donald Trump to coordinate security, finance and politics in the Gaza Strip in the post-conflict transition period.
Speaking before the Russian Security Council on January 21, Mr. Putin said he was willing to contribute up to 1 billion USD to this Council, taken directly from Russian assets frozen in the US. According to the Russian leader, that money could be used to support the Gaza recovery and reconstruction process.
We can provide $1 billion to this organization right now, even before deciding whether to directly participate in the operation of the Peace Council or not," Putin said, while emphasizing "Russia's special relationship with the Palestinian people". He affirmed that Russia "always supports and continues to support all efforts to strengthen international stability".
The "Peace Council" initiative was proposed by President Donald Trump after the US mediated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last year.
According to the plan, an international council will be established to supervise financial resources, ensure security and political coordination in Gaza during the transition period. This mechanism is expected to operate in parallel with a technocratic Palestinian government.
Despite expressing goodwill, Mr. Putin also said that Russia needs more time to carefully study the proposal and consult with strategic partners before making a final decision on joining the Council. The Russian President also thanked US President Donald Trump for the official invitation for Moscow.
The invited countries can participate free of charge for the first 3 years, while to have a permanent permanent seat for a long time, the contribution is said to be up to 1 billion USD - equivalent to the amount proposed by Mr. Putin.
China also confirmed that it has received an invitation from the US, but has not yet said whether it will participate or not. The US side said that in the future, the mission of the "Peace Council" may be expanded to handle other conflicts in the world, not just Gaza.
Out of a total of about 300 billion USD of Russian assets frozen globally, about 5 billion USD is located in the US. Also on January 21, President Putin said that the remaining assets frozen in the US could be used for economic recovery in areas devastated by conflict, once Russia and Ukraine reach a peace agreement.
