Donald Trump has said he has a call scheduled with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute. Speaking to reporters at the White House, the US president said he would be talking to Mr Putin about the case “very soon”.
Investigation into employee death
Health authorities are investigating after the death of an employee at an anti-plague institute, which authorities attributed to pneumonia with an unknown cause. Asked what the US intelligence community was saying about the case, Mr Trump said the US is in “very deep discussions” on the topic.
“We’ll be able to report about it, probably tomorrow,” Mr Trump said.
Low risk outside Russia
The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said the case presents a “very low” risk outside Russia. The UK Health Security Agency also emphasised the risk to people in the UK from plague is very low.
The United Nations agency said it was in contact with Russian authorities following reports of the death last week of a woman who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
US offer of help and sanctions deadline
On Monday, Mr Trump said the US would be willing to help Russia with the situation.
“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,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
The call also comes as the Trump administration faces an October 18 deadline to decide which Russian entities, if any, it will sanction under the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which Mr Trump signed into law on September 18.
Ukraine has given the administration and Congress a wishlist of Russian companies, vessels and individuals it would like to see hit with US sanctions under that law.
