The US froze grant payments to the WHO as early as mid-April, after the country's President Donald Trump accused the Geneva-based UN agency of having too close ties to the Chinese regime.

Trump also believes that the WHO has handled the corona pandemic incorrectly, and in addition tried to smooth over its own mistakes.

Raises tone

Now Trump is raising the tone further. In a letter addressed to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the US president lists what he believes are the organization's shortcomings during the corona crisis, and renews the allegation of lack of independence in relation to China.

At the same time, he demands that the WHO get an improvement within 30 days, otherwise the US will permanently suspend the grant and also review its membership.

"Repeated error steps"

“It is clear that the repeated mistakes made by you and your organization in dealing with the pandemic have been extremely costly to the world. The only way forward for the World Health Organization is to actually show independence from China, ”Trump wrote in his letter, which he posted to the public on Twitter.

"If the World Health Organization does not undertake a substantial, real improvement over the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freezing of the US contribution to the World Health Organization permanent, and consider our membership in the organization," he continues.

"Busy"

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib says the organization currently has no direct comment on Trump's letter, but intends to clarify the matter during the day and return.

- Right now I have nothing to say. We are fully engaged in trying to beta off the World Health Assembly's agenda, ”she says.

The EU is behind the WHO and the organization's fight against the corona center, assures Foreign Spokesman Virginie Battu-Henriksson.

"This is a time for solidarity, not for pointing fingers or undermining multilateral cooperation," she says.

During his speech to the WHO Annual Assembly, which is going on digitally on Monday and Tuesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged some shortcomings, and promised to initiate an independent investigation into the management of the corona pandemic as soon as possible.