Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the UK will not yet be signing up to US President Donald Trump's proposed Board of Peace over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin's possible participation.
Cooper told the BBC that the UK had been invited to join the board but won't be one of the signatories today at a planned ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The foreign secretary described the board as a legal treaty that raises much broader issues than the initiative's initial focus on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The charter proposed by the White House does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to replace some functions of the United Nations.
Countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel have said they will become members of the board, and at Davos, President Trump said Putin had accepted an invitation to join the initiative.
However, President Putin has not confirmed this and earlier he said his country was still studying the invitation.
Speaking to the BBC's Breakfast programme from Davos, Cooper said the UK had received an invitation to join the board and strongly supported Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
That's why we are also clear we want to play our part in phase two of the Gaza peace process, Cooper said.
But she added: We won't be one of the signatories today because this is a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.
And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something that's talking about peace when we've still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be commitment to peace in Ukraine.
She said Putin had shown no willingness to come and make that agreement and that's where the pressure needs to be now.
But we will have continuing international discussions including with our allies, the foreign secretary said.
Diplomatic relations between the US and the UK are on shakier ground after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European nations if his demand to hand control of Greenland to his country was not met.
But Trump appears to have backed down, saying the US was exploring a potential deal on Greenland after talks with the NATO security alliance, as he dropped planned tariffs on eight European countries and ruled out using force to take the island.
Cooper welcomed the apparent climbdown on Greenland and said the UK and its European allies had put forward positive, constructive proposals on security in the Arctic.
However, regarding the Board of Peace, Cooper echoed concerns raised by other UK cabinet ministers about Putin's potential role in the scheme, given Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The UK has been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies and, together with France, signed a declaration of intent to deploy troops to Ukraine if a peace deal is made with Russia.
As discussions to end the war in Ukraine proceed, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet in Davos on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal.
Trump's Board of Peace was initially presented as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza and design its future governance.
The leaked text of the board's founding charter, however, suggests it aims to promote stability and governance in conflict-affected areas.
According to the charter, the Board of Peace would become operational once three states agree to it, with member states having renewable terms and permanent seats available to significant financial contributors.
The founding Executive Board has named notable figures, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as members. Other nations, including Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have also joined, and the Vatican has extended an invitation to the Pope.
