The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday it still lacks critical information needed to determine how a laboratory worker at Russia's Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died, as President Donald Trump said he expects to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin "very soon" amid growing international scrutiny of Moscow's handling of the case. Meanwhile, the U.S. has formally pressed Russia for greater transparency, with ABC News reporting Washington recently issued a diplomatic démarche urging Moscow to comply with international health reporting obligations. When asked if he believed the death in Russia was a biological weapon during a press availability in the Oval Office Wednesday, the President said, “Well, we don't think so.
We're going to find out soon enough, but we don't think so.” “And if you listen to them, it's under control. People have said that before about other things,” Trump said, adding, “So we hope it is very sophisticated, smart, and they're saying it's very much under control. So we hope not.” A reporter then asked if the situation in Russia was similar to the early days of Covid in terms of information being shared.
But they do say they haven't very much under control,” Trump responded. Newsweek reached out to the State Department by email Wednesday for comment. The case has drawn global attention because the deceased woman worked at a research institute that studies plague and other dangerous pathogens.
Initial media reports suggested the worker may have contracted pneumonic plague following an accidental laboratory exposure. However, Russian authorities told the WHO that no recent plague case had been reported in the Irkutsk region and that tests had not identified a high-threat pathogen. The uncertainty surrounding the death has fueled speculation online and prompted comparisons to past outbreaks where limited public information complicated early risk assessments.
WHO officials stressed Wednesday that they still do not know what pathogen caused the woman's fatal illness and are waiting for additional details from Russia before they can complete a full assessment of the potential public health risk. The latest WHO update comes as Trump prepares for a call with Putin. According to ABC News, the United States has submitted a formal diplomatic complaint, known as a démarche, to Russia seeking additional information about the incident.
A U.S. official told the outlet the démarche reminded Moscow of its obligations under international health regulations and was transmitted to Russian officials in recent hours. Trump told reporters Tuesday that he expected to speak with Putin "very soon" and said the situation surrounding the reported lab worker death would likely be among the topics discussed. He also said the United States would be willing to assist Russia if requested.
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