
The United States has increased pressure on Russia after the death of a 28-year-old researcher at a laboratory in Siberia studying pneumonic plague.
The US State Department has officially urged Moscow to fulfill international obligations for notification and transparency in health matters.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian authorities have provided little information about the mysterious circumstances of the death and the subsequent quarantine measures. Washington warns that not providing details could constitute a violation of international public health obligations.
US President Donald Trump has stated that he will soon hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about this issue.
"So far we are in very deep discussions, we will be able to report on this maybe tomorrow," Trump said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for caution, saying that there may be nothing serious, but the situation could be even more serious than thought.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, has announced that they are monitoring the situation.
However, the CDC emphasizes that there is currently no indication of a broader threat to the United States.
The World Health Organization has also called for calm, the use of appropriate language, and accurate information, while confirming that it is monitoring the situation very carefully.