Egypt 'Secretly' Planned to Supply Weapons to Russia, Report Says
Egypt, one of the closest U.S. allies in the Middle East, “secretly” planned to supply up to 40,000 rockets to Russia for its war in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported April 11. The report cites U.S. military and intelligence documents recently leaked online, one of which summarizes conversations between Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and senior Egyptian military officials about plans for the country to supply rockets, artillery rounds and gunpowder to Moscow. In one document, the report said, Sissi orders the officials to keep the plan secret “to avoid problems with the West.”
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An Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told The Washington Post, “Egypt’s position from the beginning is based on noninvolvement in this crisis and committing to maintain equal distance with both sides, while affirming Egypt’s support to the U.N. charter and international law in the U.N. General Assembly resolutions.” A U.S. official told the paper, “We are not aware of any execution of that plan.”
Pentagon spokesperson Chris Meagher this week said the agency “continues to review and assess the veracity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear in some cases to contain sensitive and highly-classified material.” Meagher said some of the images “appear to have been altered.”