US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he could solve the financial problems of the United Nations. In a statement to the news server Politico, he also rejected the idea of moving the UN headquarters from New York, reports TASR.
- Donald Trump declared that he could solve the UN’s financial problems.
- He denied that the UN would leave its headquarters in New York.
- It proposes that Member States pay unpaid contributions.
- The US failed to meet its financial obligations to the UN, Trump had no idea until recently.
- The president ordered the US withdrawal from 66 UN organizations this month.
Trump said in a telephone interview that he could convince member countries to pay the unpaid contributions. But he declined to say whether the US will pay the billions of dollars it owes the world body.
According to his own words, the head of the White House did not know that the United States had not fulfilled its obligations to the United Nations, but he expressed his belief that he would solve the problem with finances very quickly if the organization asked him to do so.
“If they came to Trump and told him, I would convince everyone to pay, just like I convinced NATO,” Trump said. “All I have to do is call these countries … and they’ll write checks within minutes,” he declared.
The comments came after a report by The New York Times that senior UN officials raised the possibility that the organization may have to scale back its operations or even close its New York headquarters if it runs out of money.
Trump flatly refused. “I don’t think it’s right. The UN is not leaving New York and it’s not leaving the United States because the UN has enormous potential,” he said about the organization, which he has often criticized so far. “When I’m not here to settle wars, the UN can do it,” he added.
The UN refused to comment on Trump’s words on Sunday. This month, the US president signed a decree on the withdrawal of the US from 66 UN organizations, agencies and commissions. His administration regularly portrays international organizations as tools for other countries to take advantage of the United States, Politico wrote.
