Romania's president Nicusor Dan saluted US president Donald Trump's initiative aimed at promoting peace and said the Presidency is carrying out an evaluation to assess Romania's membership in the Board of Peace with the country's other international commitments – as a member of the United Nations (UN), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and European Union (EU).

"This assessment aims to establish the degree of compatibility of the new initiative with the existing obligations of the Romanian state and to identify the optimal ways in which Romania can contribute to achieving our common objective of consolidating peace in the world," according to a Presidency press release.

President Trump, who has sent invitations in recent days to dozens of countries to join the Board of Peace, is expected to host a signing ceremony in Davos this week. President Nicusor Dan is not attending the Davos summit.

Romania's Presidency confirmed that the country had received an invitation to join the Board of Peace. The implications of the membership are still unclear, but potentially major; its future remains uncertain.

President Donald Trump's suggestion on January 20 that his Board of Peace "might" replace the United Nations is likely to compound concerns that the body meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza – and that he will indefinitely chair – will instead become a vehicle for him to attempt to supersede the body established 80 years ago to maintain global peace, according to CNN.

Invitations have been extended to leaders who do not traditionally align, raising questions about how decisions would be made within the board. Several nations have already agreed to join the Board of Peace, while others are still undecided.

In Poland, a country that shares the same security profile as Romania yet not exactly the same geopolitical orientation of the authorities, prime minister Donald Tusk said on January 19 that the government and parliament must approve president Karol Nawrocki's decision to join Donald Trump's proposed Gaza Board of Peace. Since his inauguration on August 6, 2025, Nawrocki (with a pro-Trump orientation) has been following a confrontational course with the ruling coalition and its leader, Donald Tusk (President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019 and led the European People's Party from 2019 to 2022).

In Hungary, prime minister Viktor Orban accepted, with officials calling the invitation an "honor," according to Msn.com.

Other countries that accepted the invitation already are Morocco, Argentina, Albania, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and the UAE. 

In Russia, president Vladimir Putin received the invitation, and the Kremlin said it is studying the details and seeking clarification.

In Belarus, president Alexander Lukashenko is ready to participate, according to the country's foreign ministry.

Canada's prime minister Mark Carney said he agreed "in principle," but emphasized that details still need to be discussed and made clear that Canada would not pay any membership fee.

Other countries have already declined, or are holding off.

In France, president Emmanuel Macron has declined to join "at this stage," citing concerns over respect for United Nations principles and structures.

In the United Kingdom, prime minister Keir Starmer said Britain is discussing the proposal with allies but stopped short of endorsing the board.

In the European Union, officials said discussions are ongoing among member states, with no decision yet announced.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)