The US Ambassador to the United Nations: Pay off the UN's outstanding debts within a few weeks

On Wednesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Waltz said that Washington would start paying the billions of dollars in overdue membership fees to the United Nations within "a few weeks", while continuing to push for UN reform.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned at the end of last month that the failure of countries to pay their dues has pushed the UN to the brink of financial collapse.

The United Nations has long been facing budgetary difficulties because some member states failed to pay their mandatory dues in full, while others failed to make timely payments, forcing the United Nations to suspend recruitment and cut expenses.

In recent months, the Trump administration has reduced funding for some UN agencies and has refused or defaulted on some mandatory dues.

It is reported that the Trump administration has owed the United Nations over 2 billion US dollars in dues. These dues were originally allocated for the daily operational budget of the United Nations, while the separate budget for UN peacekeeping operations has also been in arrears by almost the same amount.

Last weekend, Waltz told Reuters that the Trump administration would soon start paying the overdue membership fees, but he did not disclose the exact amount that Washington was prepared to pay.

The UN spokesperson said earlier this week, "We are waiting for the exact payment time and amount."

Walz emphasized on Wednesday (February 11th) that the United States has not relaxed its demand for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations. "Reform must proceed, so we will continue to exert pressure to enhance efficiency. We will continue to demand that these institutions, with fewer resources, complete at least the same or even more work."

Waltz said that the Trump administration strongly supported the reform agenda initiated by Guterres last year, but he hoped that the UN Secretary-General "could have launched this initiative earlier rather than waiting until the ninth year of his term to do so."

Since Trump returned to the White House over a year ago, the United States has withdrawn from multiple UN agencies, including the World Health Organization.