US President Donald Trump (C) holds a signed founding charter surrounded by leaders of various countries at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. Picture: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a self-styled Board of Peace is being hailed by some as an audacious effort to reorder international diplomacy. Yet, beneath the spectacle lies a stark illustration of how unpredictability in US foreign policy is recalibrating alliances, emboldening rivals, and testing the coherence of the global order.
At first glance, the Peace Board appears ambitious: a forum designed to tackle protracted conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East, bypassing traditional institutions like the United Nations. Trump extended invitations to global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the Russian response was measured and revealing.
The Kremlin emphasised that any engagement would be channelled through its foreign affairs apparatus and subject to consultation with strategic partners – a subtle but unmistakable signal that Moscow will neither be hurried, nor subordinated, to a US-centric framework. Putin effectively transformed a public US initiative into a bureaucratic consultation, preserving leverage, while managing expectations. China, for its part, adopted a similarly calibrated stance.
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Xi Jinping acknowledged the invitation without committing to participation, reiterating Beijing’s priority of safeguarding strategic autonomy and maintaining stable bilateral relations with Washington. This careful hedging exemplifies China’s broader approach: engage where it advances national interest, avoid symbolic alignment that could compromise independence. In effect, Trump’s peace gambit is being reframed by global powers to suit their own strategic calculus.
Even US allies are navigating uncertainty. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s absence from Davos raises questions about both strategy and perception.
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