WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) The United States encourages Egypt to turn more toward the West and away from Russia ahead of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi's upcoming visit to Washington, DC, a senior Trump administration official said in a press briefing.
"In terms of the expanding Russian influence in the region, that's obviously something which we are quite concerned. We don't see a lot of material benefits to engagements with the Russians," the official said on Monday. "We just would encourage the Egyptians to turn more toward the West, toward the United States."
The official urged Egypt and other countries that wish to maintain a military relationship with the United States to refrain from buying Russian weapons as they risk being sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
"We have long argued that Russia is not a reliable partner for weapons sales; that American equipment and American support is far superior," the official said.
Recent reports have suggested that Egypt agreed to purchase Russian Su-35 fighter jets along with corresponding weapons systems worth some $2 billion.
On March 19, Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told Sputnik that no such contract has been signed.
The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Al Sisi is scheduled for April 9. The White House said in an earlier statement that the two leaders will focus on military cooperation and counterterrorism during their meeting.
