MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/. The US decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization is counterproductive and reflects the government’s focus on unilateral actions that ignore views of other members of the international community, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with Duma TV.

"We view this decision as counterproductive," he said. "It reflects the same focus on unilateral actions that ignore priorities and approaches of many other members of the international community. The WHO is a reputed organization with vast expertise in most important domains. Such decisions, especially when made amid the pandemic that requires consolidation of effort, will do nothing but further polarize the public opinion and weaken multilateral institutions."

Ryabkov also mentioned the issue of foreign media’s fake reports regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak in Russia, saying that the authors of such publications will criticize Russia no matter what it does.

"Those are hopeless people who specialize not on spreading information, but on media warfare," he said, adding that Russia would continue exposing the truth behind this fake news.

US President Donald Trump said on May 29 that Washington was terminating its relations with the World Health Organization "because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms." The US leader claimed the WHO was being controlled by China and accused China and the WHO of not taking due measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

The United States notified the United Nations about its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) from July 6, 2021, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said.