Trump says he has call scheduled with Putin to discuss possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he is scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a potential case of pneumonic plague at a Siberian research facility. At a press conference, Trump indicated that the conversation with Putin would occur "very soon." Health officials are investigating the death of an employee at the anti-plague institute, which has been linked to pneumonia of an unknown origin.

When asked about the U.S. intelligence community's stance on the situation, Trump stated that the U.S. is engaged in "very deep discussions" about the matter. "We’ll be able to report about it, probably tomorrow," Trump commented. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the case as presenting a "very low" risk outside Russia.

The WHO expressed that it had been in contact with Russian authorities following the news of a woman's death last week at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia. On Monday, Trump expressed willingness to assist Russia in addressing the issue, stating, "It’s a rough disease. You know, that’s a disease we used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter.

They’re like an army." The call to Putin is taking place as the Trump administration approaches a deadline on October 18 to decide whether to impose sanctions on Russian entities under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, signed by Trump on September 18. Ukraine has provided the administration and Congress with a list of Russian companies, vessels, and individuals it wants sanctioned under the act.