Trump says he has call scheduled with Putin to discuss possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia
President Donald Trump announced an upcoming call with Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential pneumonic plague case at a Russian research facility. The U.S. is monitoring the situation closely while simultaneously navigating upcoming sanctions decisions against Russian entities.
Why it matters
The intersection of public health crises and geopolitical sanctions creates a complex diplomatic environment between the U.S. and Russia.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) said he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr. Trump said he would be talking with Mr. Putin about the case “very soon.” 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 U.S. intelligence community was saying about the case, Mr. Trump said the U.S. is in “very deep discussions” on the topic. “We’ll be able to report about it, probably tomorrow,” Mr. Trump said.
Also covering this story
11 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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