Czechia is not considering joining Trump’s Board of Peace, says PM

The Czech government is not currently considering joining the Board of Peace, a new international body established by U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said this weekend. Speaking on Nova TV, Babiš said the issue is not a priority and would be politically complicated at home.

Czechia received an invitation to join the board at the end of January, but Babiš said any decision would first need to be coordinated with other European Union member states. Several EU countries have already signaled they will not take part, while others remain cautious.

“At this moment, we will not be joining,” Babiš said. He added that participation would require approval from both chambers of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, a process he described as difficult given the likely opposition response.

Babiš has previously stressed that Czechia does not want to act alone on the issue. “We will proceed according to what other EU member states say,” he said, noting that some countries have already ruled out participation. “At this point, we are not discussing it.”

France and Slovakia have publicly said they will not join the Board of Peace for now, while Italy and Germany have expressed reservations. The initiative has failed to gain broad support within the EU, despite invitations being sent to dozens of countries worldwide.

The Czech prime minister acknowledged there could be potential benefits to membership, particularly economic ones. He said an advantage of the board could be its inclusion of several Arab countries, which might open opportunities for discussions on investment. However, he emphasized that these considerations do not outweigh the political and procedural hurdles at home.

According to Babiš, the requirement for approval by both chambers of parliament makes the issue especially sensitive. “The opposition would have a negative opinion on it,” he said, adding that the matter is not currently on the government’s agenda.

Not all Czech politicians agree. Radim Fiala, chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, said in late January that Czechia should consider joining the board, but warned against paying what he described as excessive fees for membership.

Under a draft charter reported by international media, countries would be offered three years of free membership, after which a fee of $1 billion (CZK 20.5 billion) would be required for continued participation. Trump has been named the board’s chairman and is expected to play a central role in deciding future members.

Trump formally established the Board of Peace in January on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Founding members who signed the charter include Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Argentina’s President Javier Milei, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

The board has been presented as a forum aimed at international peace and post-conflict reconstruction, but critics have questioned its structure and long-term role, particularly in relation to existing international institutions.