United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the international organization faces an “imminent financial collapse” risk.
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Trump claimed that if the UN sought his help, he could quickly resolve the organization’s financial issues.
Guterres previously warned that the UN is facing an “imminent financial collapse” risk due to debt from certain member states and lack of funding.
According to Guterres, unless the collection of dues improves “substantially,” the organization will not be able to fully implement the 2026 budget, and critical project funding may be depleted.
Trump told Politico that he did not know the U.S. owed any debt to the UN but claimed he could “easily solve this issue” and ensure other nations also paid their dues.
The President stated, “If they come to me and say this, I would make all countries pay, just like I made NATO countries pay. I just need to call these countries… they would send checks within minutes.”
According to ABC News, citing unnamed UN officials, the U.S. currently owes $2.2 billion in regular budget dues and another $1.8 billion in peacekeeping budget dues. Russia fully paid its 2026 UN dues last December.
The New York Times quoted senior internal sources at the UN that the current financial situation is dire, and the UN may ultimately abandon its headquarters in New York.
Trump dismissed this possibility, insisting that “the UN will not leave New York or the U.S. because it has great potential.”
He added, “When I’m no longer around to mediate wars, the UN can.”
This statement contradicts Trump’s previous criticism of the UN’s inefficiency. In a speech at the UN last September, Trump asked, “What is the purpose of the UN? It seems they just write a very stern letter and never follow up. It’s all empty words; empty words do not solve wars.”
Since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, the U.S. has withdrawn from multiple UN projects and organizations, including the World Health Organization and UNESCO.
Guterres has warned all UN member states that the current financial crisis exceeds any historical financial difficulties, exacerbating liquidity issues and severely threatening the advancement of core programs. According to UN data, member states owe a total of $1.56 billion in dues, double from last year, with the U.S. outstanding in debt, totaling approximately $4.64 billion in regular budget, peacekeeping funds, and related court fees, far exceeding previous reports.
As the largest contributor to the UN, the U.S. is responsible for 22% of the regular budget, but it has long been in arrears and continues to “withdraw” from multilateral agreements. The Trump administration has announced its withdrawal from 66 international organizations (including 31 UN agencies), claiming this move is to end U.S. taxpayer funding for “globalist agendas.” At the same time, major donor countries like the UK and Germany have drastically reduced foreign aid, further increasing pressure on UN funding.
To cope with the crisis, the UN has adopted measures such as cutting spending, freezing hiring, and restricting travel, and has repeatedly tapped into reserve accounts to maintain operations, with borrowing amounts reaching historical records last year. More troublesome is that according to current rules, the UN must return unspent funds if the budget is not fully executed, meaning it must return over a hundred million dollars in funds that have not actually arrived, worsening its financial situation.
Guterres made it clear that the key to solving the crisis is for member states to pay their dues on time and in full or reform financial rules, otherwise a financial collapse is inevitable. Notably, although Trump claims he can “easily” resolve the issue, he did not mention whether the U.S. would make up for its arrears; his proposed budget for 2026 even plans to terminate peacekeeping funding and suspend most dues payments.
Moreover, the Trump administration is pushing to establish a “Peace Commission,” seen by observers as an effort to divert the UN’s functions and weaken its impact, with multiple countries already joining. Analysts believe that his statements contradict his previous criticisms of the UN and unilateralism, and whether he can prompt nations to pay their dues and help rescue the UN remains widely questioned by the international community.