US withdraws from Council of Europe's anti-corruption group GRECO
The United States has officially withdrawn from GRECO, the Council of Europe's leading anti-corruption body, becoming the third country to leave the group after Russia and Belarus. The State Department said membership provided 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The administration of President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe's leading anti-corruption organization. Until now, only two other countries had left the group – Russia and Belarus.
The Council of Europe announced on September 29 that the United States had officially notified it of its withdrawal. The Council 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.
State Department: membership brings no benefit
The US State Department confirmed the move, noting that US participation, which requires an annual financial contribution, "does not provide a tangible benefit to US national security." The department's statement said the era of writing checks to international bureaucratic structures has ended. Instead, the department is 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.
Part of a broader pattern
This is not the only instance of the US withdrawing from international organizations under the Trump administration. In January 2026, the US announced it was ending its participation in and funding of 31 UN bodies and 35 non-UN organizations. Later, the European Commission 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, citing as the main reason an arrest warrant issued against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
