António Guterres informed journalists at the UN headquarters in New York that the payment of $725 million by the United States (USA) will be made in the near future. The statement was made in response to questions about the outstanding debt amount of the US, at a time when the UN is facing a serious liquidity crisis.
This anticipated payment covers $725 million designated for Washington's contributions to the UN's regular budget, in addition to another $125 million (equivalent to 107.2 million euros) for peacekeeping missions in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These details were communicated to Congress through notifications sent by the State Department this month, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).
This disbursement would be the largest financial achievement of Donald Trump's administration for the UN since the Republican president returned to the White House in January 2025, an occasion when he demanded substantial reform of the organization and linked his support to these changes.
According to data provided by the organization itself, the United States has an approximate debt of five billion dollars (€4.29 billion) with the UN. Of this total, more than two billion dollars (€1.72 billion) relate to the regular budget, while about three billion dollars (€2.57 billion) are allocated to peacekeeping operations.
However, Washington did not confirm whether the transfer has already been made, limiting itself to indicating that payments depend on the continuation of the reforms proposed for the United Nations. The UN is dealing with a severe cash shortage due to delays in member state remittances, and Guterres has issued constant warnings about how the lack of resources compromises the institution's operational capacity.
Although the United States is the main financier of the UN budget, surpassing China, the Trump administration had suspended payments to the organization in 2025 and reduced voluntary funding for various UN agencies.