New Zealand has announced its refusal to participate in the "Peace Council" launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, joining a limited number of countries that have declined to join the initiative in its current form.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, stated in an official release that:
"New Zealand will not join the Council in its current form, but will continue to monitor related developments."

Peters noted that several countries have expressed reservations about the initiative, but only a few have explicitly rejected it, including France, Norway, and Croatia.