Putin responds to Trump's 'Board of Peace' invite, offers $1 bn frozen asset in membership fees
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Putin responds to Trump's 'Board of Peace' invite, offers $1 bn frozen asset in membership fees")
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videolink in Moscow on January 21, 2026. In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videolink in Moscow on January 21, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin responds to Donald Trump’s Gaza Peace Board proposal, offering $1 billion from frozen assets for membership. He also expresses readiness to support Ukraine's reconstruction if a peace treaty with Kyiv is reached.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to Trump's Gaza peace board plan and floated the idea of using $1 bn of frozen Russian assets as the membership fees. In a televised interview on late Wednesday night, Putin also expressed readiness to part with the Russian frozen assets to rebuild the war-torn Ukraine if a treaty between Moscow and Kyiv is reached. He also stressed the special relationship of Russia with the Palestinian people.
“Even before we resolve the issue of participation in the Peace Council and its work, given Russia’s special relationship with the Palestinian people, I believe we could direct one billion dollars to the Peace Council from Russian assets frozen under the previous US administration,” said Putin in a meeting of the Russian Security Council.
This comes ahead of the US President Donald Trump's peace envoy Steve Witkoff's talk on Thursday. The proposal had already taken up by Trump during the talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They are expected to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I would like to begin by thanking the US President for this proposal. We have always supported and continue to support any efforts aimed at strengthening international stability. We also acknowledge the current US administration’s contribution to the search for a solution to the Ukrainian crisis,” said Vladimir Putin in a televised interview.
How much frozen assets does Russia have in the US?
Russia has approximately $4–5 billion in frozen assets held in the US, a tiny fraction required for the reconstruction needs of Ukraine. These include cash, bonds, and other securities majorly part of the Russian Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves. According to the Russian Central Bank, approximately $300 billion worth of assets are frozen in the West, which is half of the foreign currency and gold reserves held by the bank at the start of the war in Ukraine. During 2022, the Russian Central Bank held $207 billion in euro assets and $67 billion in US dollar assets and $37 billion in British pound assets. These also include assets belonging to private Russian citizens who have been sanctioned by the US and the EU.
