A leaked U.S. intelligence document revealed that President Abdel Fatah El Sisi of Egypt, a key American ally in the Middle East has ordered his subordinates to manufacture weapons for Vladimir Putin.
What Happened: Egypt's Sisi has instructed his subordinates to manufacture as many as 40,000 rockets that will be secretly transported to Russia amid the latter's unprecedented war in Ukraine, reported The Washington Post.
A leaked secret document, dated Feb. 17, obtained by the Washington Post, contained information regarding discussions between President Sisi and high-ranking members of the Egyptian military, including plans to provide Russia with gunpowder and artillery rounds. According to the document, Sisi had asked his officials to maintain secrecy around the manufacture and transportation of the rockets, to avoid any issues with the West.
The publication said it found the documents in a collection of classified files that were posted on Discord – a popular chat app that is used by gamers – in February and March.
"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," Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for Egypt's Foreign Ministry, told the publication.
"We continue to urge both parties to cease hostilities and reach a political solution through negotiations," he added.
Meanwhile, Washington said it is still assessing an apparent leak of documents containing military intelligence. A Pentagon spokesman has warned that the situation poses "a very serious risk to national security" and could lead to the spread of misinformation.
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