On 19th February (Thursday), the United States President Donald Trump called a meeting of his “Board of Peace” to discuss rebuilding Gaza and assembling a global stabilisation force. India also participated through Namgya C. Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC, as an observer. The US Institute of Peace in Washington hosted the meeting, which was attended by officials from around 50 nations.
Meanwhile, 12 nations have chosen to take part as observers rather than join the board, including India, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The European Union and more than 40 nations announced they will send representatives to the summit.
The board, which consists of 27 countries, including Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will get $10 billion from the US. Trump further stated that 9 countries, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait, would devote a total of $7 billion for a Gaza relief package.
Trump announced the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the many world leaders invited to join the board; however, the offer was not accepted by him.
Trump introduced the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month and declared that “everyone wants to be a part” of the organisation, which could even compete with the United Nations in the future. The board was originally intended to be a body that would supervise the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as well as assist in the reconstruction and governance of the region. However, the president’s aspirations for it have grown significantly ever since.
Trump will have the authority to veto over the board and continue to lead it after he leaves office, while nations that want to join for a permanent term rather than a two-year one will have to pay $1 billion.
Trump repeats claims of mediation during “Operation Sindoor”
Trump reiterated his claim that he put an end to the conflict between India and Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor” last year, threatening to impose 200 percent tariffs on them if they did not cease hostilities. On the other hand, India has maintained that the two sides stopped their military operations after direct discussions between its DGMOs and denied that Trump played a role in mediating the ceasefire.
“I spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’s excited. He’s watching us right now. Pakistan and India. That was a big one. I think you should actually stand, come please stand just for a second. Pakistan and India. Thank you very much,” he expressed. Trump then asserted to like Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “great guy” Asim Munir, the Field Marshal of Pakistan. According to him, Sharif alleged that by ending the conflict, he had saved “25 million lives.”
#WATCH | At the Board of Peace Event, US President Donald Trump says, "…He (Pakistani PM) said in front of our Chief of Staff that President Trump saved 25 million lives when he stopped the war between us and India…That war was raging. Planes were being shot down. And I got… pic.twitter.com/pm5eT7xjz3
— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2026
Trump addressed him and added, “You made that statement. I said 25 million lives, could have been much more actually, but it was really a beautiful thing That war was raging. Planes were being shot down and it was Pakistan and India. And I called them, I said, Listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys, if you don’t settle this up. They said, no, no, no.”
He then talked about using trade deals to warn the two countries. “I said, No, it has to. If you don’t do it, I’m not doing a trade deal. We’re not doing a trade deal. And all of a sudden, I read where there was a little bit of a pullback by one, then the other, and all of a sudden, we worked out a deal. But I said, If you fight, I’m going to put 200% tariffs on each of your countries,” the president insisted.
“One of them, I won’t say which one, said, No, can’t do that. They both wanted to fight. But when it came to money, nothing like money. When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight. And we solved that deal in two-three days. They were fighting, 11 jets were shot down, very expensive jets, and they were all in. Both of them were all in, and now they’re not,” he conveyed after mentioning that 10 aircraft were destroyed in the dispute, just few weeks earlier.
Trump falsely claimed to have stopped the India-Pakistan crisis more than 80 times in recent months and has provided varying numbers regarding shot down jets at different times. He boasted, “And I think we’ll always be able to settle up with them. I really do. I think a lot of progress was made, even in the relationship. And Prime Minister Modi also is a great man. He’s a great guy. They’re all great, but I was very proud of it.”
