The global body is at risk of “imminent financial collapse,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned
US President Donald Trump has claimed that he could swiftly fix the United Nations’ money problems if the organization asked him for help.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the global body is at risk of “imminent financial collapse” as a result of unpaid dues and funding shortfalls by some member states.
Unless the collection of contributions “drastically” improves, the organization will not be able to fully implement its 2026 budget, potentially running out of funds for key programs by July, Guterres said.
Trump told Politico on Sunday that he was unaware of any US debts to the UN, but claimed he could “solve the problem very easily” and make sure that other nations also paid up.
“If they came to Trump and told him, I’d get everybody to pay up, just like I got NATO to pay up. All I have to do is call these countries… they would send checks within minutes,” the US president said.
Citing unnamed UN officials, ABC News reported on Friday that Washington currently owes $2.2 billion to the organization’s regular budget and another $1.8 billion to its separate purse for peacekeeping operations. Russia paid its UN contribution for 2026 in full in December.
The financial situation is so bad that the UN could end up abandoning its headquarters in New York City, the New York Times reported, citing high-ranking sources within the body.
Trump ruled out such a development, insisting that “the UN is not leaving New York, and it’s not leaving the US, because the UN has tremendous potential.”
“When I’m no longer around to settle wars, the UN can,” he added.
The statement goes against the US president’s earlier criticism of the organization, which he accused of being ineffective. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” Trump said from the UN tribune last September. “All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war,” he argued.
Since Trump returned to office a year ago, the US has withdrawn from multiple UN programs and organizations, including the World Health Organization and the cultural agency, UNESCO.
