Trump admits that Russia is not providing enough information about the plague

Media reports indicate that at the end of September, Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of a research institute in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast, broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen. Four days later, the woman was admitted to hospital with symptoms of severe pneumonia, where she died on the night of October 1-2.

"They say they have it under control."

On Wednesday, Donald Trump was asked about the alleged outbreak of plague in the Irkutsk region. He admitted that Russia provides the Americans with "some" information on this subject, although it should provide more.

They give some (information) to our people. We expect them to convey a lot to our people, he said during a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office. When asked whether it was a biological weapon, he replied: "We don't think so." He added that he hoped so.

The US president noted that the Russians assured that they had "everything under control" and suggested that they were "very smart", so he hoped that the situation was under control.

When asked whether he felt any similarities with the situation at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, he admitted that "China didn't say much then, and Russia doesn't say much either." But they say they have it under control, he repeated.

He also announced that he has a telephone conversation scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, noting that it is the Russian leader's birthday. You will definitely celebrate - he said sarcastically to the journalists.

The US warns Russia

The American Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the United States had warned Russia through confidential diplomatic communications that not disclosing details about the death of a laboratory worker in Irkutsk was contrary to Russia's international health protection obligations.

A State Department spokesman said that the department has officially asked the Russian government for additional information and is in contact with other countries.

"WSJ" noted that four days after the death of the 28-year-old laboratory technician, the Russian authorities have still not revealed the exact cause of her death. It was only reported that she died of pneumonia.

Under international public health regulations, states are obliged to notify the World Health Organization within 24 hours of an event that may become a public health threat of international concern. The agreement also requires the signatories to provide updated data, including laboratory test results and information on actions taken to reduce the threat.