US offers Russia help after plague institute death in Siberia

President Donald Trump said Monday the US is prepared to help Russia after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia, calling the suspected outbreak a "big problem for Russia" and "a rough disease." Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of the woman, who died under undisclosed circumstances. Officials said extensive testing found no pathogens linked to her work, though unconfirmed reports suggest she may have died from pneumonic plague. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is watching the case closely but sees no cause for alarm. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official statements rather than "rumors or speculation" about the incident.