Trump threatens to cut off financial aid to countries voting against US Jerusalem declaration at UN

London: United States President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to countries which vote in favour of a United Nations resolution rejecting the US president’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Let them vote against us,” the Guardian quoted Trump as telling reporters at the White House, “We’ll save a lot. We don’t care. But this isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“We’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer,” he added.
The warning apparently was meant for UN members in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
His comments come ahead of a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution opposing Trump’s Jerusalem move.
The UNGA will hold an emergency session on Thursday to vote on the controversial US decision.
Earlier, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said “the US will be taking names” of countries that vote in favour of the resolution.
The US has vetoed an Egyptian-drafted UN Security Council resolution that called on countries not to establish diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.
The one-page Egyptian draft resolution, without any mention of the U.S. or Trump, expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem”.
Trump’s Jerusalem move has prompted international criticism and sparked protests across the world.