Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain would not yet join President Donald Trump’s peace commission, citing concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s possible participation.

Mr Cooper told the BBC that the UK had been invited to join the board, but told a World Economic Forum ceremony in Davos: “Today we will not be among the signatories.”

The council gives President Trump broad decision-making powers as its chairman, and the United States has applied to become a new international body for dispute resolution.

Cooper described the council as a “legal agreement that raises much broader issues” than its original focus on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The White House’s proposed charter makes no mention of the Palestinian territories, and critics say the council appears designed to replace some functions of the United Nations.

Some of the United States’ traditional allies have not agreed to join the council, particularly the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, which have so far not committed to joining.

The United Nations Security Council has been the primary international platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution since World War II.

But President Trump inaugurated the council at a signing ceremony with world leaders in Davos, saying it was not intended to replace the United Nations and expressing his belief that the council would help build “everlasting” peace in the Middle East.

President Trump said the board has a chance to become “one of the most important institutions ever created.”

“We are committed to seeing Gaza demilitarized, well-governed, and beautifully rebuilt,” President Trump said. “This would be a great plan, and this is where the peace committee began.”

Trump said once the board is fully formed, it can “do just about anything we want.”

“But we will do it in cooperation with the United Nations,” he added.

President Trump attended the peace commission’s signing ceremony along with leaders and representatives from 19 countries, including Argentina, Hungary, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

President Trump also said that President Putin had accepted his invitation to join the initiative.

However, the Russian president has not acknowledged this and has previously stated that Russia is still considering the invitation.

Putin said the idea of ​​using Russian assets frozen in the United States to fund the board would be discussed at a meeting with Trump administration representatives later on Thursday, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

Speaking on the BBC’s Breakfast Show from Davos, Mr Cooper said the UK had been invited to join the council and strongly supported President Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.

“That’s why we clearly want to play our part in the second phase of the Gaza peace process,” Cooper said.

But she added: “We will not be among the signatories today as this is a legal agreement that raises broader issues.”

“We are also concerned that President Putin is participating in activities that speak about peace, even though we have yet to see any signs from him that he is committed to peace in Ukraine.”

He said Putin “has shown no desire to come to a deal and we need to put pressure on that now.”

“However, we will continue our international consultations, including with our allies,” the foreign minister said.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Britain have become even more volatile after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European countries if his demands to transfer control of Greenland to his country were not met.

However, President Trump appeared to backtrack, saying that the United States was exploring the possibility of an agreement on Greenland after consultation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) security alliance, as he canceled the planned tariffs on eight European countries and ruled out the possibility of using force to seize Greenland.

Mr Cooper welcomed the apparent fall in Greenland and said the UK and its European allies had put forward “positive and constructive proposals” on Arctic security.

But when asked about the peace commission, Cooper echoed other British ministers who have expressed concerns in recent days about Putin’s potential role on the peace commission, given Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies and has signed a declaration of intent to send troops to the country, along with France, if a peace deal is reached with Russia.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are scheduled to meet in Davos on Thursday as talks continue to end the war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, President Trump reiterated his oft-stated belief that Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy are close to a deal.

President Trump’s peace commission was originally announced by the White House as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza and design its future governance.

However, the wording of the board’s founding charter that was leaked far exceeds its purpose.

According to the document, the Council will be “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore reliable and legitimate governance, and ensure durable peace in areas affected by or threatened by conflict.”

The Peace Commission’s charter will come into force once the three countries formally agree to be bound by it, and will give members renewable three-year terms and permanent seats for those who contribute $1 billion (£740 million), according to leaked documents.

The charter declared the agency an international organization mandated under international law to perform peacebuilding functions, with Trump serving as chair and separate representative of the United States, and with the power to appoint members of the board of directors and establish or dissolve subsidiary bodies.

Last Friday, the White House named seven founding executive board members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

More countries have now said they will participate, including Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar.

The Vatican announced that the pope had also received an invitation.