US pays about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations: Shared by Sharif Shafiq Alam

US Pays About $160 Million of the Nearly $4 Billion It Owes the United Nations 

Edith M. Lederer and Farnoush Amiri 

Associated Press February 19, 2026 Click here for the article

The United States has paid approximately $160 million toward the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations — a partial payment earmarked for the UN's regular operating budget. The US owes $2.196 billion to the regular budget, including $767 million for 2026, plus $1.8 billion to the separate peacekeeping budget. UN officials have noted that 95% of all overdue payments to the regular budget come from the United States. Secretary-General Guterres warned last month that the UN faces "imminent financial collapse" unless member states pay their dues, with the regular budget potentially running out of cash by July.

The payment was disclosed on the same day Trump convened the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace. At the meeting, Trump struck an unusually positive tone toward the UN, saying his administration would work "very closely" with the organization and that the Board of Peace would act as an oversight body to strengthen it. He pledged further financial support but gave no timeline for additional payments — without acknowledging that US arrears are themselves a primary cause of the UN's financial crisis.

"They need help, and they need help moneywise. We're going to help them moneywise, and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable." — President Donald Trump

"The United Nations will be" — Trump, on the UN's long-term future, adding: "Someday, I won't be here."

"Cash for the regular budget could run out by July." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a letter to all 193 member nations