MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. The United States, as a United Nations member state, cannot quit UNESCO, can only suspend its membership and stop paying dues, a Russian expert told TASS, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement on his country’s exit from UNESCO.

"As a matter of fact, the US is freezing its membership in UNESCO and suspending its financial contributions. The US cannot actually say it is withdrawing from the organization because it is a member of the United Nations and UNESCO is a specialized UN organization. A UN member state has the right to be present in all of its structures. The main problem today is the suspension on financing because in such an event UNESCO will have to scale down some of its projects and programs," said Alexey Borisov, chief of the UNESCO department at MGIMO University and vice president of the World Federation of UN Associations.

According to the expert, this move by the United States will mean "the reduction of cultural exchanges, opportunities to preserve historical heritage sites and cultural values, first of all in the US territory." The UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites features 23 sites in the United States.

"By terminating its work within UNESCO, Washington deprives itself of a say in the organization’s programs, which is deplorable, bearing in mind the fact that this year the UN and UNESCO mark their 80th anniversaries," Borisov said, adding that this "emotion-driven and declarative" decision by Washington is rather meant "for the domestic audience and certain international players."

"In the past ten years, the United States has suspended financing of a range of international organizations more than once to later resume it. It’s the same thing now. I think that things will straighten out in a while. The United States is interested in the efficient operation of the United Nations and its structural divisions, including the programs under UNESCO. They cover issues of science, education, culture, and communication. Washington will be back in UNESCO in no time," he noted, adding that this may happen "quite swiftly, as soon as the international situation changes."

According to the expert, "the United States, like Russia, both being among the UN founders, bears special responsibility for strengthening and developing international cooperation, including for the work of such organizations as UNESCO."

On suspending US’ membership in UNESCO

The White House said earlier on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO. According to the Department of State, the withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026. The organization advances "a globalist, ideological agenda for international development," which is at odds with Washington’s "America First foreign policy," it said.

This is not the first time the US has pulled out of UNESCO. The Ronald Reagan administration withdrew from the UN body back in 1984, citing its extreme politicization and wasteful spending. The US returned to UNESCO in 2003. The country exited the organization again in 2018, during Trump’s first term in office, saying that UNESCO had an "anti-Israel bias," needed "fundamental reform," and that the United States had a mounting financial debt to the organization. The US came back to the UN body in 2023.

After taking presidential office again in 2025, Trump signed an executive order giving 90 days to review cooperation with UNESCO.