Anthony Albanese has sidestepped inquiries regarding Australia’s potential involvement in US President Donald Trump’s newly proposed Board of Peace, which invites 60 nations to participate.

This new international coalition, introduced by Trump at the Davos summit, aims to manage the reconstruction of Gaza and possibly address broader global conflicts.

The White House has named several prominent figures to the board’s first executive team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

When questioned about Australia’s stance, especially as countries like Hungary, Belarus, and Saudi Arabia have already committed, while others such as France, Sweden, Norway, Canada, and the UK have expressed reservations, Albanese remained noncommittal.

“You might want to refer to my United Nations address, where I discussed our commitment to key policy pillars, including our support for multilateralism,” he stated during an appearance on ABC’s Insiders show on Sunday.

Albanese emphasized that the government’s recent focus has been on responding to the Bondi Beach terror attack and quickly passing necessary legislation during the emergency parliamentary sessions held earlier in the week.

‘We’ve been focused this week obviously on domestic concerns. We’ll give it further consideration,’ he said.

Pressed on whether the government views the Board of Peace as legitimate, Albanese again avoided giving a view.

Albanese (pictured) refused to confirm Australia’s stance on Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

‘It’s unclear what the objectives of this are,’ he said.

‘Which is why we will give it further consideration. My government is one that always has an orderly, considered approach to all of our policy, including our international engagement.’

Asked if Australia would follow democratic allies such as Canada and the UK in rejecting the proposal, Albanese remained unclear on his stance. 

‘We’re engaged with our like-minded countries as well about all of these issues,’ he said, confirming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit and address Parliament in March.

‘My friend Mark Carney will visit Australia and give an address to the Parliament in March. We are very much engaged with our partners overseas.’

Albanese pointed to growing diplomatic tensions, including turmoil in Europe as Trump and the US revived claims over Greenland.

‘We do have a shift in the way international politics is being played, with a greater engagement from middle powers. That’s something I spoke about when I addressed the UN. We need greater cooperation as we see the world changing in its dynamic,’ he said.

He also endorsed recent remarks by Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum, where Carney warned: ‘If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.’

Countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Canada have declined a role on the board

‘I agree with him,’ Albanese said.

Albanese also dismissed recent comments made by Trump about Australia’s role in Afghanistan as ‘not acceptable’, but again stopped short of demanding a formal apology.

Trump told Fox News he was ‘not sure’ NATO would meet the ‘ultimate test’ of defending the US if the nation was threatened.

‘We’ve never needed them … They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan … and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines,’ Trump said, adding ‘the US had been very good to Europe and to many other countries. It has to be a two-way street.’

‘Those 47 Australian families who will be hurting by these comments—they deserve our absolute respect, admiration. The bravery that was shown by 40,000 Australians who served in Afghanistan,’ Albanese said. 

‘They were certainly on the frontlines, in order to, along with our other allies, defend democracy and freedom. And to defend our national interest.’

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie also condemned Trump’s remarks, fiercely defending the service of Australian troops.

‘President Trump has claimed that allied soldiers didn’t serve in the front lines in Afghanistan. This is a massive slur, not just against Allied troops, but against our Aussie diggers who fought, bled and died alongside Americans,’ he said. 

Andrew Hastie (pictured) condemned comments by Trump against Afghanistan veterans 

‘One of the most important things in building coalitions and alliances is mutual respect, and a really important virtue in a leader is restraint. And President Trump by dumping on allied troops has shown neither.’

Despite the criticism, Albanese again refused to call for an apology. 

‘I won’t provide a running commentary on Mr Trump’s remarks,’ he said.