Trump's Praise for Prabowo at Board of Peace Summit
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., United States, on Thursday, 19 February 2026 local time.
Present at the event were US President Donald John Trump, US Vice President James David Vance (JD Vance), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and senior White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Several other member state leaders were also in attendance, including representatives from Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Egypt. Additionally, representatives from Belarus, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Israel were present.
In his address, US President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for the attendance of national representatives, including Prabowo. Trump said the countries joining the Board of Peace were not merely contributing money, but were also willing to deploy personnel to maintain the ceasefire and ensure peace in Gaza, Palestine.
Trump then singled out Indonesia as one of the countries that would be sending troops to Gaza. “Indonesia, thank you very much, Indonesia. That’s a great country,” Trump said, as broadcast on the official White House YouTube channel.
Trump described Prabowo as a “tough” man. The Republican politician also said Prabowo had done a tremendous job and was respected by everyone. “He’s tough and he’s smart. And smart is more important,” Trump said.
Earlier, Prabowo Subianto had stated that the inaugural Board of Peace meeting would discuss efforts to achieve peace in Gaza, Palestine. Prabowo conveyed this at a business forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building in Washington, D.C., a day before the Board of Peace meeting.
Prabowo said he was attending at the invitation of President Trump for the Board of Peace Summit. “The first official meeting of the Board of Peace to discuss the implementation and continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza. We continue to strive to pave the way towards a real and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue,” Prabowo said in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 local time.
The Head of State added that Indonesia consistently upholds the principle of an independent and active foreign policy. Indonesia, Prabowo said, does not side with any particular power bloc. He also stated that Indonesia actively participates in creating world peace.
“We continue our non-aligned foreign policy, respecting all major powers. I am determined to pursue a ‘Good Neighbour Policy’,” Prabowo said.