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US fails to pay millions of dollars in arrears to UNESCO — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister emphasized that "a great deal of money was frozen"

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The United States withdrew from UNESCO without settling millions of dollars in arrears, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting of the National Commission for UNESCO.

"We welcome the new director general’s resolve to strengthen the member states’ role in managing the organization and ensuring its financial transparency and accountability," he noted. "Financial transparency and accountability are particularly important given that the United States failed to pay millions of dollars in arrears when withdrawing from UNESCO. It wasn't just millions, but tens of millions of dollars," Lavrov added.

He emphasized that "a great deal of money was frozen."

News came on July 22, 2025, that US President Donald Trump had decided for the country to leave UNESCO.

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Sergey Lavrov United States

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