Washington to host first meeting of Board of Peace

U.S. President Donald Trump will preside over the first meeting of his Board of Peace today in Washington.

Trump is to address the group at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace and announce that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund.

Speakers at the event are expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role in the board, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees.

Russia expects that the first meeting of the Board of Peace will feature clear calls for de-escalation in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"We expect that clear calls for de-escalation in both Gaza and the West Bank will be voiced in some form during the series of events planned for tomorrow in Washington by the Board of Peace, which Israel has recently joined," Nebenzya said.

Earlier, the White House announced that representatives from more than 20 countries are expected to attend the meeting in the US capital.