Image source, Nato

Increased cooperation between China and Russia is one of the "most concerning" changes on the security situation in the Arctic, US Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich tells the press conference.

He says these changes have occurred over the last several years, "both in the maritime domain with increased joint patrols as well as in the air domain with long range bomber patrols being conducted jointly".

"We're constantly trying to enhance our posture and think of ways that nations can enhance our posture in the Arctic", he adds.

Image source, AFP

We have just heard from a press conference being held by Nato.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who is the chair of the Nato Military Committee, says the alliance remains "steady" despite the challenges being thrown at it.

He says the alliance is united, even if members do have "robust exchanges of views at times".

Dragone says Nato has discussed security in the Artctic, which he calls an area of strategic relevance where Nato has military and training exercises planned for the months to come.

He is asked if the framework of a future deal on Greenland grants the US sovereign bases on the island, and if so, has Denmark agreed to it.

Dragone says the deal is at a "very early stage", adding: "We know there is a framework set by Greenland, Denmark and the US but we are still waiting on direction".

Image source, Getty Images

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has started in Davos.

Zelensky is due to address the World Economic Forum at 14:30 local time (13:30 GMT).

Too early to judge Board of Peacepublished at 12:28 GMT 22 January

12:28 GMT 22 January

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Can this much-trumpeted Board of Peace actually deliver what it sets out to? That is, resolving conflicts, starting with Gaza.

That is what matters most here. It is tempting to dismiss today’s razzmatazz in Davos as just that, a bit of diplomatic showmanship and a display of Donald Trump’s extraordinary and controversial personal magnetism.

There are certainly reasons for scepticism. China, France and some other nations are not keen because they see it as a dangerous rival to the UN.

Britain is loathe to sit on a "Board of Peace" that has invited President Putin, who has shown no inclination to end his war against Ukraine short of that country’s capitulation.

Yet look at the cast list of who's signed up to it: some of the most important players in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Israel. These are countries with a vested interest in seeing a lasting peace in their region.

Many people were sceptical that Trump’s 20-point peace plan could end the Gaza war. And yet it did, albeit the claims to have brought enduring peace to the Middle East were absurdly premature.

So, ultimately, this "BoP" will need to be judged on the results it achieves and that, right now, is still anyone’s guess.

Questions remain after Trump's Greenland talks with Ruttepublished at 12:09 GMT 22 January

12:09 GMT 22 January

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Bringing us back to talks on Greenland, James Landale looks at what we learnt from the Trump/Rutte meeting.

There’s much confusion about what’s been agreed on Greenland. So what do we know?

Donald Trump met the Nato Secretary General, Mark Rutte, on Wednesday evening in Davos. Afterwards, the president said on Truth Social they agreed “the framework of a future deal” about Greenland and the wider Arctic.

As a result, he said he would lift the threat of tariffs against the UK and EU allies opposed to his threatened annexation of the Danish territory.

In an interview on CNBC, Trump said the deal would include Greenland’s minerals and the US Golden Dome missile defence system. It would also last “forever”.

But when asked if the deal involved US ownership of Greenland, as he had demanded, the president equivocated, saying the deal was “a little bit complex” but “it’s the kind of a deal that I wanted to be able to make”.

A Nato spokesperson says: “The secretary general did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with the president in Davos.”

Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has told Danish media “no negotiation over ownership has taken place” and adds that Rutte “does not have a mandate to negotiate on behalf of Greenland”.

Instead, there are reports the deal could involve the US and Denmark renegotiating their existing 1951 defence pact, under which America retains wide ability to deploy military force in Greenland.

Rutte said this morning the deal would require Nato allies to do more on Arctic security and the first results would be seen this year.

So what we know for definite is Trump has withdrawn his threat of military action against Greenland and trade war against Europe. But questions remain about what precisely he has agreed instead.

Image source, Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Switzerland for a meeting with Trump.

According to AFP, they are due to meet at Davos at 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

We've also heard from Trump, who said ahead of the meeting "I think they're getting close" to a peace deal in Ukraine.

"We've got to get it done. If we don't get that done, it would be a disgrace," he told reporters outside the World Economic Forum.

He also mentioned a meeting with Putin "today or tomorrow", a reference to his special envoy Stephen Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are on their way to Moscow.

Zelensky will also address the World Economic Forum at 14:30 local time (13:30 GMT).

We reported earlier on the UK's reservations over joining the Board of Peace due to concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin's involvement.

Putin is ready to send $1bn of Russian assets to Trump's Board of Peace, the state news agency Tass reports.

A leaked document previously reported on by the BBC said Board of Peace member states would be given renewable three-year terms, and permanent seats made available to those contributing $1bn (£740m).

Putin says that the funds could come from Russian assets frozen in the US, and that this will be discussed with the Trump administration in a meeting today.

Laura Bicker
China correspondent

Image source, Reuters

China has confirmed it's been invited to join Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, but it has not yet said that it is willing to take part. Instead, it has voiced serious doubts.

"China has always practised true multilateralism. No matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the UN-centred international system," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing this week.

Chinese state media was a little more critical and questioned whether this committee was “truly for peace”, while also raising concerns that the US president was creating a “private club or corporate board of directors with a billion-dollar price tag”.

China’s main concern is that Trump wants to replace the United Nations. The US president was asked earlier this week if it could and he replied: “Well, it might.”

This will horrify China. Beijing is a founding member of the UN and has been making a concerted effort to expand its global influence from within the organisation. It is a permanent member of the Security Council which helps reinforce its status as a world power.

China will not be keen to be just one of many members of a Board of Peace created by the US, where Beijing may not be seen as Washington’s equal and where the last word would likely come from Trump.

But it also won’t want to openly criticise Trump at a time when ties between China and the US are stable.

Instead, publicly Beijing is taking the diplomatic high road and emphasising the importance of the UN Charter.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has just launched his new Board of Peace with a signing ceremony in Switzerland. Here's a recap of what occurred:

• Founding members of the body, including Argentina's Javier Milei and Hungary's Viktor Orban, sat beside Trump as he touted his administration's achievements on peace - we've a full rundown on who was in attendance
• The US president said the body could be "one of the most consequential" and suggested he'll work in conjunction with the United Nations

• The room was also shown a "New Gaza" slideshow presented by Trump adviser Jared Kushner. It showed futuristic seaside high-rise buildings on the current Gaza Strip
• Trump ended the ceremony by describing himself as a "real estate person at heart"

Image source, Reuters

We reach the end of the ceremony with one final address from the US president.

Trump discusses his team's work on Gaza, saying he's a "real estate person at heart".

"I said look at this location on the sea," he continues. "People that are living so poorly are going to be so well, but it all began with the location."

Image source, Reuters

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Trump, has taken to the stage to promote plans for the re-development of Gaza.

They include slides of what "New Gaza" may look like under the US plans.

The slides feature images of futuristic seaside high-rise buildings on the current Gaza strip, with claims of "coastal tourism" to come.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recast the Board of Peace as a "Board of Action".

He said that while the focus was currently on Gaza, the board "will serve as an example of what's possible in other parts of the world".

Rubio said "others will join", and that "many want to be a part of this effort".

President Trump was joined by the leaders and representatives of 19 countries for the Board of Peace signing ceremony.

They were:

• Argentina — President Javier Milei
• Armenia — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
• Azerbaijan — President Ilham Aliyev
• Bahrain — Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
• Bulgaria — Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov
• Hungary — Prime Minister Viktor Orban
• Indonesia — President Prabowo Subianto
• Jordan — Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi
• Kazakhstan — President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev
• Kosovo — President Vjosa Osmani
• Mongolia — Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar
• Morocco — Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita
• Pakistan — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
• Paraguay — President Santiago Pena
• Qatar — Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani
• Saudi Arabia — Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al‑Saud
• Turkey — Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan
• United Arab Emirates — Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority Khaldoon Al Mubarak
• Uzbekistan — President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev

Image source, Getty Images

We're peeling away from Trump at Davos to report UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first comments since the US president dropped his tariff threat late on Wednesday.

Starmer says it's a "good thing" that the threat of tariffs against the UK was lifted, adding the "hard yards" and "finding a way forward" on Arctic security can now begin.

He says while the region "may seem a long way away", it matters "to all of us in terms of the safety and security of our country".

Starmer adds that recent days have seen "a mix of British pragmatism, common sense, but also that British sense of sticking to our values and our principles".

Image source, Reuters

Rounding off his speech, Donald Trump invites representatives from Bahrain and Morocco to sign a charter document for the Board of Peace.

The three then smile and hold up the documents, before other members of the board are invited to sign.

During his speech, Trump also spoke about Gaza, which he says is where the plan for the Board of Peace started.

A peace deal was struck earlier this year, involving the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Trump said the war in Gaza was "really coming to an end" - that the conflict now consists of "little fires" that he says can be put out easily.

Hamas "probably will" do what they promise to do, Trump said. "They have to give up their weapons and if they don't do that, it's going to be the end of them."

At least 466 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on 10 October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Read our latest story on the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza here.

Trump says that once the Board of Peace has been formed, "we can do pretty much whatever we want to do", adding he'll work in conjunction with the United Nations.

Despite his repeated criticism of the international body, he says there's "tremendous potential" in the UN.

Trump says that combining the efforts of the Board of Peace and the UN is "something very, very unique for the world" and "the first step towards a brighter day for the Middle East".

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Trump turns his remarks back to the Board of Peace, claiming it has the potential to be "one of the most consequential bodies ever created", adding that he is "honoured" to be chairman.

"It is running beautifully... just about every country wants to be a part of it," he says.

As a reminder, the UK is holding off joining the Board of Peace over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin's possible participation.

On Monday, Trump threatened 200% tariffs on French wine after President Emmanuel Macron declined to join.

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images

Lauding his actions on the international front, Trump mentions the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that took place last summer which he says "obliterated" the country's nuclear capacity.

"Iran does want to talk, and will talk," Trump adds, before going on to discuss operations against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Trump then says "many good things are happening" and describes how threats to Europe, America and the Middle East "are really calming down".

"Just one year ago the world was actually on fire, a lot of people didn't know it," he adds.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Trump repeats his claim he has settled eight wars since coming to office. BBC Verify has previously examined this claim.

Trump says he believes another settlement "is coming very soon".

On the Ukraine war, he says: "The one I thought was going to be an easy one has turned out to be probably the most difficult."

He then thanks those in attendance at the ceremony, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair: "Thank you Tony for being here, we appreciate it."

Image source, Getty Images

Trump has just started speaking. He calls it a "very exciting day, long in the making".

He claims "everybody" wants to be a part of his Board of Peace.

He says he will continue to "work with many others, including the United Nations".

The signing ceremony begins as an announcement welcomes the founding members of the Board of Peace onto the stage.

This includes Argentinian President Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, among others.

Trump has also just taken to the stage.