Egyptian officials have reportedly decided not to get involved in arming Ukraine, shrugging off repeated US requests in recent months to produce artillery shells and other weapons needed for Kiev’s counteroffensive against Russian forces in the Donbass region.
Washington asked Egypt to supply artillery, antitank 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 a March meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
“In conversations with US officials, Egypt hasn’t definitively rejected the requests, but Egyptian officials said privately that Egypt has no plans to send the weapons,” the newspaper said.
That message apparently hasn’t gotten through to Washington. A US State Department official expressed optimism on getting Egypt to back Ukraine, telling the media outlet that “our discussions with our Egyptian partners on our mutual interest in ending Russa’s war are productive and ongoing.”
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.
The WSJ noted that the failure to enlist Egypt in the effort comes at a “critical moment” in the conflict, in which Ukrainian forces are trying to push through Russia’s formidable defensive lines as the US tries to rally military and diplomatic support for Kiev. Al-Sisi’s decision also comes at a time when some members of Congress are urging President Joe Biden’s administration to withhold $320 million of the $1.3 billion in annual US military aid pledged to Egypt, citing the country’s human rights record.
Al-Sisi attended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with African leaders last month in St. Petersburg. After a one-on-one meeting with al-Sisi, Putin said Russia aimed to complete an industrial zone near the Suez Canal as part of a plan to ramp up trade with Egypt and other African nations.
Air Defense Activated Over Crimea as Russian Forces Repel Ukraine Strikes Near Kupyansk
Air defense systems were activated over several regions of Crimea overnight, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Crimean head Sergey Aksyonov, said in the early hours of Saturday.
"Air defense systems have worked over different regions of Crimea. Please remain calm and trust only verified sources of information," Kryuchkov said on Telegram on Saturday morning.
Traffic across the Crimean Bridge was temporarily suspended for about two hours during the night.
The Russian Defense Ministry subsequently confirmed that Ukrainian forces had attempted to carry out an attack using 20 drones, all of which were destroyed.
"Tonight, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using 20 unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] on sites on the territory of the Crimean peninsula was thwarted," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry specified that 14 Ukrainian drones were destroyed by Russian air defense systems, while another six UAVs were suppressed by means of electronic warfare.
There are no casualties or damage as a result of the attempted attack, the defense ministry said.
The alerts were issued as reports emerged that Russian forces successfully repelled several strikes by Ukrainian forces near Kupyansk.
"During the day, the enemy carried out four counterattacks with units of the 14th and 41st separate mechanized brigades and the 25th separate airborne brigade on the positions of our troops in the area of the village of Sinkovka … All counterattacks were successfully repelled. Enemy losses amounted to a platoon of manpower," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Ukrainian troops have also attempted to carry out three attacks in the Svatovo region, but Russian troops successfully repelled the attacks.
"In the course of hostilities in the Kupyansk direction, the [Russian] assault groups … captured four [Ukrainian] strongholds and five observation posts," the spokesperson told Sputnik.
The latest reports of activity surrounding Kupyansk come as Russian forces have been making steady advances since mid-July. It was recently noted Russian troops moved forward some 11 kilometers along the frontlines as forces were able to liberate five settlements in the area.
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