Trump administration to transfer $725 million to UN toward unpaid dues

The Trump administration has initiated the process to transfer $725 million to the United Nations, a partial payment toward billions of dollars in unpaid dues that have pushed the global body to warn of imminent financial collapse. The State Department notified Congress of the planned transfer in a letter dated August 4, with the funds expected to be delivered before President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month.

The payment covers less than 20 percent of the more than $4 billion the U.N. said in May it was owed by the United States. According to U.N. figures, that total includes $2.04 billion for the regular operating budget, $2.2 billion for current and past peacekeeping missions, and $44 million for U.N. tribunals. U.S. officials have disputed the total, saying the figure is considerably lower and that some payments have already been made.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned earlier this year that the organization faced "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid contributions, a message widely seen as directed at Washington. The U.N. says the United States accounts for more than 95 percent of arrears owed to its...