Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call
Moscow and Washington have not agreed on a time for a conversation between the two presidents.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Laut Kreml gibt es noch keinen Termin für ein Gespräch von Putin und Trump. Der US-Präsident hatte zuvor gesagt, es gebe einen Termin. (Archivbild) Foto: Mikhail Metzel/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa
Photograph: saarbruecker-zeitung.de (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Moscow and Washington have not yet agreed on a date for a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
- US President Donald Trump had previously announced a call was scheduled with Putin for 'very soon'.
- A 28-year-old scientist in Siberia died from 'pneumonia of unknown origin', prompting the WHO to request information from Russia.
- The WHO assessed the risk of pneumonic plague outside of Russia as 'very low'.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 17 of the 31 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
20/100
31 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on 8 October 2026 that Moscow and Washington have not yet agreed on a date for a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Peskov's comments, reported by the state news agency Tass, followed an announcement by Trump that he had a call scheduled with Putin that would take place 'very soon'. Peskov added that a conversation could be arranged quickly if an initiative was forthcoming from Washington.
The context for the potential call involves the death of a 28-year-old scientist at an institute for combating plague diseases in Siberia. Russian authorities cited 'pneumonia of unknown origin' as the cause of death. The World Health Organization subsequently requested information from Russia about a possible second case of pneumonia in Irkutsk, based on a media report. The WHO assessed the risk of pneumonic plague outside of Russia as 'very low'.
Disagreement on call timing
US President Donald Trump stated on 6 October 2026 that he had a planned telephone conversation with Putin that would occur 'very soon'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on 8 October 2026 that Moscow and Washington had not yet agreed on a date for such a call, and that it was unclear when it would take place. Some reports indicate that the US State Department had previously urged Russian authorities to share information quickly and transparently.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific date of the last phone call between Putin and Trump, which the Saarbrücker Zeitung reported as 8 September.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 8 Oct 2026, 10:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The two left-rated reports focused on the Kremlin's statement that a date for a call between Putin and Trump had not yet been agreed. Both reports mentioned that Trump had previously announced a call was scheduled for 'very soon'. The reports also noted the death of a scientist in Siberia and the WHO's request for information regarding a possible second case of pneumonia.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- The four centre-rated reports highlighted the lack of an agreed date for a Putin-Trump call, contrasting it with Trump's earlier statement about a conversation planned for 'very soon'. These reports also included details about the death of a scientist in Siberia and the WHO's involvement in requesting information about a potential second pneumonia case. The WHO's assessment of the risk outside Russia as 'very low' was also noted.
Right
8 rated outlets
- The eight right-rated reports led with the Kremlin's denial of an agreed date for a call between Putin and Trump, often framing it as a contradiction to Trump's 'very soon' claim. These reports mentioned the death of a scientist in Siberia and the WHO's request for information. Some reports noted that the conversation was expected to be about the suspected 'Russian plague'.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 57% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 31. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 14% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 57% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call biased?
- Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call is one event reported by 31 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Kremlin says no date set for Putin-Trump call?
- 31 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Has a date been set for a call between Putin and Trump?
- No, the Kremlin has stated that Moscow and Washington have not yet agreed on a date for a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated it was unclear when such a call would take place.
- What was the context for the potential Putin-Trump call?
- The potential call was linked to the death of a 28-year-old scientist in Siberia from 'pneumonia of unknown origin'. This prompted the World Health Organization to request information from Russia about a possible second case of pneumonia in Irkutsk.
- What is the WHO's assessment of the plague risk?
- The World Health Organization has assessed the risk of pneumonic plague outside of Russia as 'very low'. This assessment was made following reports of a scientist's death in Siberia from pneumonia.
Read it at the source
31 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
4- Kremlin: It Is Not yet Clear when Trump Will Talk to Putin About the Plague (opens Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija in a new tab)
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens wz.de in a new tab)
- Pulmonary Plague Suspicion: Kremlin: Date Open for Discussion by Trump and Putin (opens volksfreund.de in a new tab)
volksfreund.de — is volksfreund.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Pulmonary Plague Suspicion: Kremlin: Date Open for Discussion by Trump and Putin (opens saarbruecker-zeitung.de in a new tab)
saarbruecker-zeitung.de — is saarbruecker-zeitung.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
8- Russia breaks silence on huge Trump snub after Putin left empty handed (opens Daily Express in a new tab)
Daily Express — is Daily Express biased? Our profile of this outlet
- There's No Exact Date for Putin and Trump's Phone Call Yet. (opens Interfax.ru in a new tab)
Interfax.ru — is Interfax.ru biased? Our profile of this outlet
- When will Trump, Putin speak? Kremlin responds to ‘very soon’ call claim (opens The News in a new tab)
- But Not Very Soon?: Kremlin Contradicts Trump on Lung Plague Phone Calls (opens n-tv in a new tab)
- Pulmonary Plague Suspicion: Kremlin: Date Open for Discussion by Trump and Putin (opens Handelsblatt in a new tab)
Handelsblatt — is Handelsblatt biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Kremlin Has Not yet Agreed on a Telephone Call Between Putin and Trump. (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- Sandkov: It Is Not yet Clear when Putin's Conversation with Trump Could Take Place. (opens EADaily in a new tab)
- "Not yet, we'll let you know": Peskov said there was no specifics about the timing of Putin's conversation with Trump (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
17- Ukraine, Russia: "There Is Not yet a Date for Putin-Trump Interview" (opens Il Quotidiano del Sud in a new tab)
Il Quotidiano del Sud — is Il Quotidiano del Sud biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin Gives Trump 'Clearance' for Call with Putin: 'We'll Keep You Informed' (opens reader.gr in a new tab)
- Ukraine, Russia: There Is Not yet a Date for the Putin-Trump Interview (opens notizie.it in a new tab)
notizie.it — is notizie.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine, Russia: "There Is Not yet a Date for Putin-Trump Interview" (opens Calabria News in a new tab)
Calabria News — is Calabria News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine, Russia: There Is Not yet a Date for the Putin-Trump Interview (opens Rec News in a new tab)
- Ukraine, Russia: "There Is Not yet a Date for Putin-Trump Interview" (opens newsbiella.it in a new tab)
newsbiella.it — is newsbiella.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine, Russia: "There Is Not yet a Date for Putin-Trump Interview" (opens Giornale Radio in a new tab)
Giornale Radio — is Giornale Radio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Putin and Trump to Discuss the Plague (opens iatronet.gr in a new tab)
iatronet.gr — is iatronet.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 9 more
- Kremlin Says Putin and Trump Still Have to Set when They'll Talk About the Plague Case (opens The Objective in a new tab)
The Objective — is The Objective biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens mainwelle.de in a new tab)
mainwelle.de — is mainwelle.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens bbv-net.de in a new tab)
bbv-net.de — is bbv-net.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens RN in a new tab)
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens onetz.de in a new tab)
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens nordbayern.de in a new tab)
nordbayern.de — is nordbayern.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens inFranken.de in a new tab)
inFranken.de — is inFranken.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Meeting of Trump and Putin Open (opens noz.de in a new tab)
- Dog: There's No Specific Time Frame for Putin's Conversation with Trump Yet. (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.


