European Leaders to Meet with Trump’s Gaza Peace Board Director Monday

Top European Union diplomats will gather Monday in Brussels to meet with Nikolay Mladenov, the director of President Trump's Board of Peace initiative for Gaza. The meeting comes amid division within the EU over whether to participate in Trump's controversial Gaza reconstruction efforts.

BRUSSELS (AP) — High-ranking European Union officials plan to convene Monday with Nikolay Mladenov, who heads President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, following mixed reactions from EU nations regarding Trump’s Gaza reconstruction and security plans.

Mladenov, a former Bulgarian political leader and United Nations diplomat selected by Trump to oversee the Board of Peace, is scheduled to meet with EU foreign policy leader Kaja Kallas along with foreign ministers from the 27-member union. The diplomatic gathering will also address ongoing conflict in Ukraine and additional Russian sanctions.

Given its Mediterranean location near the Middle East, the European Union maintains significant connections with both Israeli and Palestinian communities. The bloc currently oversees operations at the Rafah border crossing and serves as the largest financial contributor to the Palestinian Authority.

European capitals from Nicosia to Copenhagen remain divided on whether to collaborate with Trump’s peace board initiative. The EU continues backing the United Nations’ Gaza operations.

Hungary and Bulgaria represent the EU as full board members, while EU candidates Turkey, Kosovo and Albania also hold membership positions.

A dozen additional EU countries participated as observers during Thursday’s inaugural Washington meeting: Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Officials displayed the EU flag at the event alongside flags from observer and member nations.

Notable European figures including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declined participation invitations, as did Pope Leo XIV. However, von der Leyen dispatched European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica as an observer to the Washington gathering.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot criticized Šuica’s attendance, claiming the Commission violated EU protocols by not consulting the European Council leadership group first.

“The European Commission should never have attended the Board of Peace meeting in Washington,” Barrot wrote on X. “Beyond the legitimate political questions raised by the ‘Board of Peace,’ the Commission must scrupulously respect European law and institutional balance in all circumstances.”

Von der Leyen spokesperson Paula Pinho responded Friday, stating “It is in the remit of the Commission to accept invitations.”

While the executive branch won’t join the board officially, it aims to shape Gaza reconstruction and peacekeeping efforts beyond its current role as the Palestinian Authority’s primary financial supporter, Pinho explained.

Trump’s expanding vision for the board encompasses governing and transforming Gaza into a modern metropolis while potentially challenging the UN Security Council’s conflict resolution authority. However, these ambitious goals may face practical constraints given the limited ceasefire progress achieved so far in Gaza.