US withdraws from Council of Europe anti-corruption body GRECO
The United States has formally left GRECO, the Council of Europe's anti-corruption group, joining only Russia and Belarus as former members. Washington says membership brought no tangible benefit to US national security.
The administration of President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe's leading anti-corruption body. The Council of Europe announced the move on September 29, noting that only two other countries had previously left the organization — Russia and Belarus.
The Council of Europe stated that GRECO remains open to resuming cooperation with the United States in the future, in support of joint efforts to prevent corruption, strengthen integrity and uphold the rule of law.
Washington's reasoning
The US State Department confirmed the withdrawal, saying that US participation, which required an annual financial contribution, provided no tangible benefit to US national security. The department stated that the era of writing checks to international bureaucratic structures is over, and that it is instead prioritizing more effective anti-corruption tools, such as visa restrictions, sanctions and targeted foreign assistance to strengthen foreign criminal investigations into corruption that directly threatens US security and prosperity.
Broader pattern
Under the Trump administration, the United States has withdrawn from a number of international organizations. In January 2026, the US announced it was ending its participation in and funding for 31 UN bodies and 35 non-UN organizations. The European Commission later expressed regret over the US's final withdrawal from the World Health Organization. In February, President Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court, primarily in response to the court's arrest warrant against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
