'No panic' over Trump's withdrawal threat: World Trade Organization chief 

World Trade Organisation's Director General Roberto Azevedo on Friday maintained that there is no situation to panic over US President Donald Trump's withdrawal threat.

Azevedo noted that Trump's comments about potentially leaving the WTO do not reflect new concerns.

"No panic," Azevedo said. "The U.S. concerns about areas in the WTO that they would like to improve are not new. And I think what he said yesterday is consistent with what they have expressed before," he added. 

US media reported President Trump to have threatened to pull out of the  World Trade Organization (WTO) if it "doesn't shape up".

"If they don't shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO," Trump told an American media house in an interview.

Trump has repeatedly blamed the WTO for alleged unfair trade practices against the US.

The United States, earlier this week, lodged a complaint against Russia at the WTO challenging a "special protective measure" imposed on US imports against tariffs on steel and aluminium imposed by the White House.

Meanwhile, Russia on Friday reacted to Trump's comments on exiting the WTO. Russia's economy ministry stated that the United States would suffer economically for not playing by the rules. 

(With inputs from Reuters)