Broad condemnation of Trump's decision to suspend WHO funding

US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend the US financial contribution to the World Health Organization due to what he described as "mismanaged" the health crisis caused by the emerging Corona virus, sparked widespread condemnation in the world on Wednesday.

Here are the most prominent reactions:

World Health Organization
"There is no time to lose, the only concern is to help all people to save lives and put an end to the outbreak of the new Corona virus," said WHO Director Tidros Adhanom Gebresus on his Twitter account after Trump's announcement.

United nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considered that "this is not the time to cut resources" for such an international organization involved in the war against the Covid-19 epidemic.

In his statement, which was marked - unusually - with a sharp tone, he clarified that after the end of the crisis, "there will be time" to understand how the disease arose and spread.

"I am convinced that the WHO should be supported because its importance is critical to the efforts of the world to win the war on Covid-19," Guterres said.

China
"This decision will weaken the capabilities of the World Health Organization and undermine international cooperation against the epidemic," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Li Jian.

Zhao urged the United States to "take its responsibilities and obligations seriously, and support the international efforts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) in dealing with the epidemic."

Germany
"We have to work closely with Coffid-19," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote in a tweet on Twitter. He added that "one of the best investments is to strengthen the United Nations, especially the under-funded World Health Organization, for example, to develop and distribute testing equipment and vaccines."

The minister added that "blaming does not help" in the current health conditions, explaining that "the virus knows no borders."

For his part, said Stephen Seibert, a spokesman for the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference, that the WHO is doing "a very important work."

He added that "the government is convinced of the need to adequately support and finance the World Health Organization."

European Union
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed "deep regret" at the suspension of the US contribution.

"There is no reason to justify this decision at a time when WHO efforts are more necessary than ever to help contain and mitigate (the spread of) the global epidemic," Borrell wrote in a tweet.

"Only by joining forces can we overcome this boundless crisis," he added.

Russia
Russia denounced what it considered a "very selfish approach" by the United States to confront the Corona virus, after President Donald Trump's decision to suspend the financial contribution to the World Health Organization.

"Washington's announcement to suspend funding for the World Health Organization raises great concern in our view. It reflects the very selfish approach of the US authorities in the face of what is happening in the world," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

"To strike such a blow against the World Health Organization in front of the international community is a step worthy of condemnation and condemnation," he added.

For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that the US President's decision "proves that the United States always needs a scapegoat."

At a time of heightened debate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned on Tuesday "attempts to politicize the Covid-19 epidemic file." "Anyone familiar with the chronology of the outbreak and the statements and decisions made by the WHO will be convinced that it has acted effectively," he told a news conference.

France
French government spokeswoman Sebet Ndiaye announced that France "regrets" Trump's decision. "It is an unfortunate decision," she added at the conclusion of a cabinet meeting, explaining that Paris hopes "things will return to normal" so that the organization can continue its work.

the African Union
On Wednesday, African Union Commission President Moussa Faki Mohamed said in a tweet that the US decision was "very unfortunate."

American criticism
Even at the American level, Trump's decision has been criticized.

US House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Elliot Engel criticized Trump's decision, stressing the need to conduct an investigation into the organization's management of the Corona epidemic, and accused the Trump administration of seeking to blame the World Health Organization, China and political opponents.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy called the decision irrational, especially as the world is facing the worst epidemic in a century.

It was criticized by Bill Gates, one of the founders of Microsoft, which is the first private contributor to the WHO budget.

On Tuesday, the US President announced the suspension of the financial contribution of the United States to the World Health Organization due to its "mismanagement" of the epidemic caused by the Corona virus.

The US President directed a lengthy indictment to the United Nations, saying that "the world has received a lot of misinformation about transmission and deaths" resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic.

The United States is the largest contributor to the financing of the World Health Organization, which has been based since Geneva.

The American President pointed out that his country's contribution to financing the organization was between 400 and 500 million dollars annually, compared to China's contribution of about 40 million dollars "and even less."

Trump said the United States "has an obligation" to hold accountable.

"Had the World Health Organization carried out its work to send medical experts to China to assess the situation on the ground objectively, and expose China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained in the bud with very few deaths," he added.

What angered Trump in particular was criticism of the World Health Organization for his decision in late January to prevent travelers from China from entering the United States, a measure that Trump still boasts and says has slowed the virus's arrival. Trump said that "China is always right" in the eyes of the World Health Organization.