The administration of US President Donald Trump has begun the process of transferring $725 million to the United Nations to cover Washington's debt. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Reuters.
The money will go to the UN's main budget. The US State Department notified Congress of the planned payment on August 4.
However, the total US debt to the UN is much larger. According to the organization's estimate, Washington owes more than $4 billion. The US authorities consider this amount inflated and say that some payments have already been made.
The UN previously reported that the US owed about $2 billion for the organization's main budget, another $2.2 billion for peacekeeping operations, and $44 million to international tribunals.
Due to delays in payments, the UN faced a shortage of funds. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of financial problems and the need to cut costs.
Experts note that the transfer of $725 million will only partially solve the problem.
"This will allow the ship to stay afloat a little longer," former UN official Eugene Chen told Reuters.
According to him, if the US does not continue paying its debt, the country could lose its voting rights in the UN General Assembly as early as January.
Under UN rules, a state can lose its voting rights if its arrears equal the amount of contributions for the previous two years.
Under the Trump administration, the US also cut funding for several UN bodies and withdrew from some international commitments.
In addition, Washington has not transferred about $153 million for political reasons. Part of these funds was intended for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees.
As of August 18, 129 of the 193 UN member states have paid their contributions in full.