BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s president has ordered the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization due to “profound differences” with the U.N. agency, a presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.

President Javier Milei ‘s decision echoes that of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, who began the process of pulling the United States out of WHO with an executive order on his first day back in office on Jan. 20.

The loss of another member country will further fracture cooperation in global health, though Argentina was expected to provide only about $8 million to WHO for the agency’s estimated $6.9 billion 2024-25 budget.

Argentina’s decision is based on “profound differences in health management, especially during the [Covid-19] pandemic,” spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a news conference in Buenos Aires. He said WHO guidelines at the time led to the largest shutdown “in the history of mankind.”