After blocking US funding for WHO, Donald Trump now set to hold second G7 meet on COVID-19

After halting US funding to the WHO, U.S. President Donald Trump is now all set to hold a video conference with the leaders of Group of Seven (G7) on Thursday to discuss and coordinate the national responses to the Coronavirus outbreak, the White House said on Tuesday. This comes after Trump decided to cancel the in-person meeting of G7 leaders at Camp David in June.

The video conference on Thursday is a follow-up to the G7 conference on March 16, which was convened as an 'emergency meet' marking the first time the G7 leaders came together to discuss the efforts to defeat the coronavirus. Trump had come under fire in the previous meet as world leaders made it clear that medical firms must share and coordinate research on Coronavirus vaccines rather than provide products exclusively to one country. 

The G7 consists of the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan and also gets representation of the European Union. 

Read: In Controversial Move, Millions Of US Covid Relief Checks To Bear Donald Trump's Signature

Read: G7 Holds Emergency Video Summit On Coronavirus, Slams US Attempt To Monopolise Vaccine

US halts WHO funding

After several warnings to the World Health Organization (WHO), United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday, halted US funding to the UN body after alleging mismanaging the coronavirus crisis. He announced this decision during his daily White House briefing. Trump has blamed WHO's "very much sided" approach to China on coronavirus crisis, asserting that many people are unhappy with the global health agency and feel that "it's been very unfair".

Read: China Not Excluded, As Donald Trump Halts US Funding For WHO Alleging Covid Mismanagement

Read: As Donald Trump Halts US Funding For WHO, China's Media Highlights Experts' Opposition