Facing Russian stonewalling, Trump admin ramps up pressure for info as it struggles to plan for potential plague fallout
The Trump administration is struggling to get clear answers about the death of a Russian laboratory worker at an institute dedicated to studying the plague and has formally escalated its request for information from the country, amid days of stonewalling from Russian officials about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the episode. The death of the technician … The post Facing Russian…
The Trump administration's struggle to obtain answers about a Russian lab worker's death has escalated, with officials facing Russian resistance to share information about the incident. The death of the technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia raised concerns across the administration, prompting a race to gather intelligence and plan for potential public health risks.
Russia's reluctance to provide details has left officials uncertain about the broader implications and how to best defend the US against any threats. The US has formally requested additional information through a démarche and is coordinating with other nations to share information. US officials hope that limited information sharing will improve in the coming hours and days.
President Trump has scheduled a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue soon. However, the Kremlin denies arranging the call. So far, the cooperation from Russia has been limited, and officials remain skeptical of the transparency provided. While the initial threat to Americans has been downplayed as treatable with antibiotics, there is concern within the administration about the potential for the situation to escalate, similar to China's handling of Covid-19.
Written by urgent.news from Egypt Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
