WASHINGTON, Oct 7 – United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has a phone call scheduled “very soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington continues to closely monitor reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing on Marine One, Trump addressed whether he had engaged directly with Putin regarding the health incident.

“I have a call scheduled very soon,” Trump said. “So far, we’re in very deep discussions. We’ll be able to report about it probably tomorrow.”

The upcoming bilateral communication follows earlier remarks by Trump confirming that the US is evaluating potential biosecurity and public health risks “very strongly” while offering medical assistance to Russian authorities.

Interagency Monitoring and Diplomatic Oversight

US diplomatic and health agencies have been actively tracking developments surrounding a fatal, suspected pneumonic plague case linked to Russia’s Irkutsk region in Siberia:

Agency Collaboration: The US State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are coordinating with interagency partners to review incoming public health data from the region.
Russian Response: Russian health officials previously characterized the fatal incident as severe pneumonia of unknown etiology, reporting that comprehensive facility testing revealed no operational containment failures or pathogen leaks at a local anti-plague research institute.
Precautionary Measures: Regional authorities in Irkutsk have implemented localized quarantine measures and placed dozens of primary contacts under strict medical surveillance.

Further updates on the bilateral discussion between Washington and Moscow are expected to be disclosed by the White House on Wednesday.

–NMT

Tags: Donuld Trump Putin Russia US