By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-10-07 04:46:48 | Updated at 2026-10-07 06:14:45
1 hour ago
Donald Trump has said he will have a call with Vladimir Putin "very soon" as the US closely tracks a suspected pneumonic plague death in Russia.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the President said he would contact his Russian counterpart soon.
When asked whether he had already been in touch with Mr Putin, he said, "I have a call scheduled."
Pressed further on when the conversation would take place, he said, "Very soon."
Pressed on what US intelligence agencies knew about the death, he responded: "So far we are in very deep discussions; we'll be able to report about it probably tomorrow."
The White House is closely monitoring a potential outbreak after Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab assistant at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died last week.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Iceland his department was closely tracking any spread of the infection.
"I think it's incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world," he said.
Donald Trump said he would have a call with Vladimir Putin 'very soon'
GETTY
Mr Rubio continued: "We're watching it very closely, hour by hour."
In a statement to Fox News, his department cautioned that "many details remain unconfirmed" and urged Russian authorities to "share accurate information quickly and openly".
Russia, meanwhile, has claimed that no cases had been identified in anyone who came into contact with Ms Shipilova, as locals insisted their lives had barely been disrupted.
Rospotrebnadzor, the country's health watchdog, said a "comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures" were quickly put in place, and "none of the contacts showed any changes in their state of health associated with infectious disease".
Donald Trump said US intelligence agencies were in 'very deep discussions' over the suspected plague death
REUTERS
A hospital in the city of Shelekhov was quarantined immediately after the death.
On Monday, Mr Trump offered to help Moscow with the outbreak, noting that pneumonia is more difficult to treat than in years past because "the microbes and the germs have gotten stronger disproportionately".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated appreciation for the offer but did not formally declare Moscow's acceptance.
"It's always good when mutual assistance is offered," he said.
Marco Rubio urged Russia to share more information about the potential outbreak during a visit to Iceland
REUTERS
A resident of Shelekhov, who gave only her name, Anna, said life had gone on mostly as usual, except for wearing masks for 24 hours.
Countries geographically closer to Russia have also taken action in response to the death.
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan - all of which border Russia - have announced travel restrictions to curb a potential outbreak.
Pneumonic plague is a serious bacterial infection that can spread rapidly through respiratory droplets and can progress quickly if untreated.
