Key facts
- A laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia.
- Dozens of people were quarantined following the death.
- President Donald Trump stated the U.S. would help Russia with the outbreak.
- Russian authorities said the situation was under control.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would help Russia after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia. Trump described the outbreak as a "big problem for Russia" and a "rough disease."
The death of the laboratory worker at the institute, which studies plague, has led to quarantines for dozens of people. Russian authorities stated on Monday that the situation was under control.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, said, "We'll help. Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we're always will to help." He also noted his ability to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite ongoing tensions over Russia's war against Ukraine.
U.S. officials, including those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department, were seeking more information about the reported death and the subsequent quarantines, cautioning that much about the situation remained unknown.