WASHINGTON, October 5. /TASS/. The United States is ready to assist Moscow if necessary following the detection of a case of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Russia’s Irkutsk Region, US President Donald Trump said.

"We’ll help them as much as [we can]," the US leader said in response to a question from reporters at the White House.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said, in connection with reports of a "plague" or another infection in the Irkutsk Region, that people should rely on the assessments of "highly qualified professionals" from the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) rather than idle rumors and speculation.