The Peace Council should supervise the United Nations (UN) in the future, said this Thursday (19) the President of the United States, Donald Trump, during a speech at the body’s first meeting, held in Washington. According to him, the new structure will help ensure the “smooth functioning” of the international entity.
“One day I will no longer be here. The United Nations will, I believe, be much stronger. The Peace Council will essentially oversee the United Nations and ensure its smooth functioning,” Trump said. The president added that the UN “needs help” and promised financial support. “We will help them financially and we will ensure that the United Nations is viable,” he declared.
According to Trump himself, the Council will be responsible for strengthening the multilateral organization, which, in his assessment, has “tremendous potential”. He also criticized the UN’s actions in recent conflicts. “They didn’t rise to the challenge in all eight wars. I didn’t even talk to them about one of them, and I should have been talking to them about all of them,” he said.
At the beginning of the speech, Trump highlighted that, since the Council’s founding meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the group has worked in cooperation with the UN. He also stated that he intends to talk to the organization’s secretary general, António Guterres, after the end of the meeting.
The first meeting of the Peace Council was attended by leaders and representatives from more than 40 countries. Most of the founding members are Trump allies, while major powers and almost all European countries have shown reluctance to join the Council.
Trump declared that the majority of invited countries “agreed” to participate and that the rest will eventually join. “Some are trying to be smart. It doesn’t work. You can’t be smart with me. They’re playing a little game, but everyone is joining in: most of them very quickly,” he said.
