Trump to speak to Putin on plague as US steps up pressure

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he would soon speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the reported death of a laboratory technician in Siberia due to plague. Moscow has denied imposing anti-plague measures and downplayed the incident at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk region, Siberia. However, Washington has expressed growing concern and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to be transparent about the situation.

Trump later confirmed he would speak with Putin about the incident, stating it would happen "very soon." The Wall Street Journal reported that the US State Department had sent Russia a confidential diplomatic communication, warning Moscow that failing to disclose details violates international health obligations. The cause of death remains undetermined, with Russian authorities saying postmortem tests did not detect the disease.

Up to 200 individuals with whom the deceased may have had contact are under quarantine. The World Health Organization stated there is a moderate to low risk for Irkutsk based on available information, but the UN health agency is closely monitoring the situation.