“We have officially requested additional information from the Russian government.”
By Catholics for Catholics
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that U.S. officials do not think that a Russian lab worker’s announced death, which has garnered global scrutiny, was connected to a bioweapon.
“We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Still, the United States sent a formal complaint to the Russian government, asking the nation to augment its transparency about the suspected death of a lab worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia, according to a story by the Daily Wire.
“We have officially requested additional information from the Russian government,” the State Department told ABC News. “We are also in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.”
“I have a call scheduled,” Trump told reporters early Tuesday evening, adding that the call would happen “very soon.” The president said he would be able to share more details from U.S. intelligence agencies about the suspected plague case on Wednesday.
Q: Is the plague in Russia a bioweapon? Trump: We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so. The Russians are saying that it’s very much under control. https://t.co/vfM9Spx5C5
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2026
When the President was asked if he believes Russia is sharing enough information on the suspected plague case, Trump said Russian officials have shared “a little bit with our people. We expect them to share it a lot with our people,” adding “We have brilliant experts. They know everything about what’s going on, and all of that information is going through them.”
Known as a démarche, the complaint cautions Moscow that failing to disclose details about the lab worker’s death goes against its international health obligations. The 2005 International Health Regulations compels countries to notify the World Health Organization (WHO) within 24 hours of assessing an event that could become an international public health emergency. Pneumonic plague is listed as a “potential notifiable event” by the International Health Regulations.
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