Russia willing to allocate $1bn to Gaza Peace Board from U.S.-frozen assets

Russia willing to allocate $1bn to Gaza Peace Board from U.S.-frozen assets
Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2022 shows a screen displaying Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking during a televised address, in Moscow, Russia. Putin on Thursday authorized "a special military operation" in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "republics" in the Donbass region. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump had invited Russia to join the U.S.-initiated Board of Peace, and that Russia would hold consultations with its strategic partners on the matter, according to a statement published on the Kremlin’s official website on Wednesday.

Given the special ties between Russia and the Palestinian people, even if Russia had not yet decided whether to participate in the work of the Board of Peace for Gaza, it would still consider allocating 1 billion dollars from its U.S.-frozen assets to the initiative, Putin said.

“This step would require the assets to be unblocked,” said Peskov. “It is not yet clear how the contribution will be legally formalized; all of this will need to be discussed.”