The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday expressed regret over President Donald Trump's decision to halt U.S. funding for the U.N. agency, while remaining tight-lipped about the precise financial impacts of the move on WHO operations.

"We regret the decision of the President of the United States to order a halt in funding to the World Health Organization," Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

"With support from the people and government of the United States, WHO works to improve the health of many of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people," the WHO chief said.

(File photo of WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus)

His remarks came after Trump said Tuesday that he has directed his administration to halt U.S. funding for the agency due to its perceived failures and mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic.

"WHO is reviewing the impact on our work of any withdrawal of U.S. funding and we'll work with our partners to fill any financial gaps we face and ensure that our work continues uninterrupted," Tedros said.

But he did not specify the amount that would be lost in a U.S. funding freeze, or which partners the agency has approached in attempting to fill potential financial shortages.

The United States will decide whether or not to resume its funding after conducting a unilateral review of WHO's management of the global health crisis.

"This is a time for all of us to be united in our common struggle against a common threat, a dangerous enemy. When we are divided, the virus exploits the cracks between us," Tedros said as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached two million worldwide.

Trump said that he considers the WHO response to the coronavirus outbreak to be tainted by missteps and cover-ups, claiming that "WHO failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable."

These accusations appear to be part of a strategy to deflect blame for the coronavirus crisis from the president himself to the WHO, since Trump is under fire for initially downplaying the virus threat in the United States.

In a fact sheet released by the White House on Wednesday, the WHO is said to have failed the American taxpayers who provide $400-500 million in funding to the organization each year by displaying "a dangerous bias towards the Chinese government" despite the fact that China provides a considerably smaller portion of the WHO's funding than does the United States.

(File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump)

Tedros already hit back last week at Trump's suggestion that WHO's response was "China-centric" and contained faulty recommendations, saying the politicization of the crisis is misguided.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres defended the WHO on Tuesday as critical to the global COVID-19 response and said it is not the time to shift focus from emergency response efforts to finding those potentially responsible for the disease's rapid spread around the world.

"As it is not that time, it is also not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," Guterres said.

The United States was the top contributor to the WHO in 2018 and 2019, providing $893 million in total, accounting for about 14.7 percent of the U.N. agency's funding.

After the United States, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the second largest contributor, providing 9.76 percent of WHO's funding during the same two-year period.

(WHO headquarters in Geneva taken on Feb. 14, 2020)

Despite Trump's recent move, the American private organization has signaled that it will continue to support the WHO.

"Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds," Bill Gates tweeted, adding that "the world needs WHO now more than ever."

The part of WHO's overall funding provided by member states is composed of "assessed contributions," equivalent to state membership dues, which are calculated relative to each country's population and wealth, as well as "voluntary contributions," donations by member states or other partners.

It remains unclear whether the U.S. funding cut to the WHO will be taken from assessed or voluntary contributions.

"WHO is not only fighting COVID-19," Tedros said, noting the agency's efforts to fight other diseases and conditions such as Ebola, HIV and diabetes, and its work to strengthen health systems and improve access to life-saving health services in many countries.