Egyptian officials have reportedly decided not to get involved in arming Ukraine, shrugging off repeated US requests to produce artillery shells and other weapons needed for Kiev\u2019s counteroffensive against Russian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Washington has also asked Egypt to supply anti-tank missiles, air defense systems and small arms for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unidentified US officials. The requests were made on multiple occasions, including during a March meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn conversations with US officials, Egypt hasn\u2019t definitively rejected the requests, but Egyptian officials said privately that Egypt has no plans to send the weapons,\u201d the newspaper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That message has apparently not reached Washington. A US State Department official expressed optimism about getting Egypt to help Ukraine, telling the newspaper that \u201cour discussions with our Egyptian partners on our mutual interest in ending Russa\u2019s war are productive and ongoing.\u201d
Earlier this year, Cairo reportedly backed down under US pressure from an alleged plan to sell rockets to Russia. Al-Sisi has tried to maintain good relations with both Washington and Moscow amid the Ukraine crisis, declining to join in the US-led campaign to arm Ukraine and punish Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The WSJ noted that the failure to enlist Egypt in the effort comes at a \u201ccritical moment\u201d in the conflict, in which Ukrainian forces are trying to push through Russia\u2019s formidable defensive lines as the US tries to rally military and diplomatic support for Kiev. Al-Sisi\u2019s decision also comes at a time when some members of Congress are urging President Joe Biden\u2019s administration to withhold $320 million of the $1.3 billion in annual US military aid pledged to Egypt, citing the country\u2019s human rights record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US intelligence agencies reportedly expected a different outcome. The Washington Post reported in April that according to leaked US intelligence documents, the Egyptian government had approved a plan to sell 152mm and 155mm artillery rounds to the US for transfer to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n