Russia slams US over Trump's move to suspend WHO funding amid COVID-19 pandemic

Russia on May 19 slammed US President Donald Trump over his latest decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) amid Coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called Trump's decision a very 'selfish and 'disturbing' move. Ryabkov called on the United States to stop further attacks on the global health body when it is busy fighting the outbreak. 

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Ryabkov also said that the United States' move deserves to be condemned as it is attacking the WHO at a time when the whole world is relying on it. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also launched a scathing attack on the United States saying that politicians in Washington only know how to put blame on others. Zakharova said that they blame China and the WHO for COVID-19, they blame Russia for Hillary Clinton's loss and they blame Putin for problems in American medicine. According to reports, Russia is among the countries that have tabled a bill in the World Health Assembly demanding an impartial and independent probe into the handling of the outbreak and origin of the disease. 

Read: Russia Nears 300,000 Mark With 9,263 New Coronavirus Cases

US' criticism

US President Donald Trump has time and again attacked China and the WHO for their initial handling of the disease outbreak. While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that the COVID-19 disease is not a natural occurrence suggesting it emerged from a virology laboratory in China, without mentioning if the release was deliberate. Pompeo had said that the United States has enough evidence to back the claim, which the WHO has called 'speculative' saying that they haven't provided anything to the agency yet. 

Read: 'Russia Has Stopped Growth Of Coronavirus Infections', Says Country's PM Mikhail Mishustin

Read: Russia Reports 9,709 New Coronavirus Cases, 94 Fatalities In 24 Hours

(Image Credit: AP)