‘No logic’: World reacts to Trump’s decision to cut ties with World Health Organisation

'Given the scale of the outbreak in the US, this appears nothing short of an attempt to refocus attention away from how this has been handled'

Donald Trump’s announcement that the US is cutting all ties with the World Health Organisation has been condemned by experts across the world.

There is “no logic” in the US president’s decision to sever links with the body, one leading British oncologist said, while Germany’s health minister described it as a “disappointing” move in the middle of the global pandemic.

Mr Trump has repeatedly said the WHO failed to respond properly to the coronavirus crisis and, on Friday, accused it of being under the “total control” of China.

He said Washington would redirect its annual contribution – some £324 million in 2019 – to other international bodies.

But Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor at Leeds University’s School of Medicine, said the severance did not make sense in the middle of a global crisis.

“There is no logic to the move,” he said. “Pandemics are, by definition, a global crisis. To not face Covid-19 with a united front seems futile.

“Given the scale of the outbreak in the US, this action appears nothing short of an attempt to refocus attention away from how this has been handled.”

In a tweet, Jens Spahn, Germany’s health minister, admitted the WHO needed reform but said the decision to pull out entirely was “a disappointing backlash for international health”.

And Dr Gail Carson, a consultant in infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, said: “If there was a time not to make health political, it is now, when the world is in the throes of a pandemic.

“Now is the time for solidarity and to stand together to end the pandemic as soon as we can and to save lives.”

She added: ”Now is not the time to weaken the world’s leading health agency, who has shown strong leadership with strong technical messages throughout this pandemic.”

The US is the largest source of financial support to the WHO and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the global health body.