WHO Chief Thanks UK’s Johnson for Support After ‘Very Good’ Phone Call

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday thanked UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for support for the global fight against the pandemic in a follow-up to their recent phone call coming amid Washington's heavy criticism toward the organization.

The two had the call on Tuesday. The talks come as the United States suspends funding for the World Health Organization after questioning its handling of the pandemic, calling it "China-centric" and accusing the WHO chief of being "too close" to China.

​The WHO chief also expressed his gratitude for the "continuous support" provided to the organization by the UK government and people.

​Tedros noted that he was looking forward to joining the Global Vaccine Summit that the United Kingdom will host on 4 June, calling it an "outstanding opportunity" to reaffirm the commitment to the "life-saving work" of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance and equitable access to a future COVID-19 vaccine.

In a separate release, the Downing Street said that the prime minister set out in the call "the UK’s support for the international effort to defeat coronavirus and for the work of the UN and WHO in helping to coordinate the global response."

According to Johnson’s office, the two also agreed on the importance of an independent probe into the origins of the current pandemic.