Donald Trump just invited Vladimir Putin—the man currently waging a brutal war of conquest against Ukraine—to help “rebuild” Gaza. You know, for peace.
WHAT’S GOING ON: According to CNN, the Kremlin confirmed Monday that Putin received an invitation through diplomatic channels to join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the committee that will oversee Gaza’s reconstruction.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they’re “hoping to get more details from the US side.”
Also getting an invite? Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko—widely known as “Europe’s last dictator”—whose government gushed that America sees Belarus as “a country ready to take on the noble responsibility of building a lasting peace.”
THE DETAILS: Trump has dubbed this the “Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled.”
Membership gets you a permanent seat if you pay $1 billion. Those who don’t cough up get a three-year term.
The guest list reads like an authoritarian who’s who: Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Turkey’s Erdoğan, Argentina’s Milei, and Egypt’s el-Sisi have all received invitations.
Tony Blair and Marco Rubio are also on board, because apparently no venture is complete without a war criminal and a guy who spent years warning about Russian aggression before doing a full 180.
OF COURSE: Putin has been internationally isolated since invading Ukraine in 2022, with the International Criminal Court issuing a warrant for his arrest for war crimes. And now Trump is offering him a seat at the table to oversee Middle East “peace.”
WHY IT MATTERS: This isn’t just about Gaza—it’s about what “peace” means in Trump’s worldview. Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee is already raising alarms that this board “would have a mandate wider than the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan,” warning that the UN’s role in maintaining international law “is more important now than ever.” Translation: Trump is building a parallel international structure, stacked with strongmen and autocrats, that bypasses the institutions designed to hold them accountable. The price of admission is $1 billion. The cost to democratic norms? Incalculable.
BOTTOM LINE: When the guy who’s currently bombing Ukrainian civilians gets invited to help “rebuild” a bombed-out territory, the word “peace” has lost all meaning.
This is what legitimizing authoritarians looks like—one billion-dollar invitation at a time.