According to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to stop funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic received backlash from world leaders.
Trump blamed WHO for promoting China’s “disinformation” about the virus, saying it likely led to a wider outbreak.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Trump said, “The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable."
This comes after Trump reacted angrily to accusations that his administration's response to COVID-19 was haphazard and too slow, leading to more infections and deaths.
World leaders called for cooperation and unity, amid the pandemic. Nearly 2 million people have been infected with coronavirus globally, with over 127,000 deaths.
The United States is the biggest WHO donor, giving them over $400 million in 2019, about 15% of its budget.
John Sawers, the former head of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service, said that it was China that hid key information about the outbreak, not the WHO.