FILE PHOTO: Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), walks past the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) after the World Health Assembly (WHA) following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union urged the United States on Saturday to reconsider its decision to cut ties with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In the face of this global threat, now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions. Actions that weaken international results must be avoided,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.
“In this context, we urge the U.S. to reconsider its announced decision,” it said, a day after President Donald Trump announced the move, accusing the U.N. agency of becoming a puppet of China.
Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Mark Heinrich