US says 'no indication' Egypt is providing weaponry to Russia

WASHINGTON

The US said Tuesday there is no evidence to suggest that Egypt is supplying Russia with lethal weapons after a leaked American document claimed Cairo secretly planned to supply rockets to Moscow.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi planned to manufacture 40,000 rockets for Russia, according to the Washington Post, which cited a portion of a top-secret document dated Feb. 17. Sisi reportedly directed officials to keep the production and delivery covert to prevent issues with Western nations.

"We've seen no indication that Egypt is providing lethal weaponry and capabilities to Russia," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Kirby said the Biden administration wants to obtain answers as soon as possible to identify where the breach took place.

The Pentagon said Friday it was investigating the unauthorized disclosure of the documents, which carry US Joint Chiefs of Staff seals and allegedly belong to the US and NATO. They were shared on social media, including Twitter and Telegram.

The Justice Department separately opened a criminal investigation into the leak.

The Biden administration has repeatedly declined to weigh in on their authenticity but they include information about the course of the war in Ukraine, humanitarian aid provided by different countries and calendars for aid being delivered to Kyiv's forces.

*Michael Hernandez contributed to the story