NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has invited India to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, according to a White House statement on Sunday, shared in a post on X by Washington’s ambassador to New Delhi, Sergio Gor.
It was not clear whether India would join the initiative, which will initially focus on Gaza. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The invitation to India comes as ties between New Delhi and Washington are under strain due to the failure to secure a trade deal that would lower tariffs on India’s exports to the U.S. that are facing a levy of 50% currently, among the highest in the world.
Trump has extended invitations to some 60 countries for the initiative, including India’s neighbour Pakistan, whose government said earlier in the day that it would engage in international efforts for peace and security in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Devika Nair and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens and Jane Merriman)
