FILE PHOTO: Spanish peacekeeping officers stand in formation during Spain's defence minister Margarita Robles' visit to the Spanish United Nations Interim Forces (UNIFIL) in Marjaayoun, Southern Lebanon January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, during the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial, an international conference on peacekeeping missions, in Berlin, Germany May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The UNIFIL United Nations peacekeepers' vehicles drive on a road amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in the town of Qlayaa, southern Lebanon October 18, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The official emblem of the United Nations is seen at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., August 23, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File Photo

(Corrects the number of peacekeeping missions affected to nine from 11 in paragraph 1, removes operations in Middle East and India and Pakistan from paragraph 9)

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations will cut a quarter of peacekeepers in nine operations around the world in the coming months due to a lack of money, senior U.N. officials said on Wednesday, and as future funding from the United States remains uncertain.

"Overall, we will have to repatriate... around 25% of our total peacekeeping troops and police, as well as their equipment, and a large number of civilian staff in missions will also be affected," said a senior U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

That would amount to between 13,000 and 14,000 troops and police, the official said.

Washington is the U.N.'s largest peacekeeping contributor, accounting for more than 26% of funding, followed by China which pays nearly 24%. These payments are not voluntary.

The U.S. was already $1.5 billion in arrears before the new financial year began on July 1, said a second U.N. official. Washington now also owes an additional $1.3 billion, taking its total outstanding bill to more than $2.8 billion.

The U.S. has told the U.N. it will make a payment shortly of $680 million, the first U.N. official said. The U.S. mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump in August unilaterally canceled some $800 million in peacekeeping funding appropriated for 2024 and 2025, according to a Trump administration message to Congress.

The White House budget office has also proposed eliminating funding for U.N. peacekeeping missions in 2026, citing failures of operations in Mali, Lebanon and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The peacekeeping operations affected are in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Kosovo, Cyprus, Central African Republic, Western Sahara, the Golan Heights demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria, and Abyei - an administrative area jointly run by South Sudan and Sudan.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also more broadly seeking ways to improve efficiency and cut costs as the world body turns 80 this year amid a cash crisis.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Jasper Ward and Bill Berkrot)