Egypt denies report of leaked document that said it planned to ship arms to Russia

CAIRO — A classified US intelligence document among those leaked onto the Internet earlier this year describes an Egyptian plan to covertly produce rockets, artillery shells and gunpowder for Russia, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Egypt, one of the world's top recipients of US aid, has denied any collaborative project with Russia, against American interests. The New York Times has not seen or verified the document.

According to the Post report, the document was dated February 17 and described recent conversations between the President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and senior Egyptian military officials.

A second report released Tuesday, this one by The Associated Press, said officers Russian intelligence had claimed to have persuaded the United Arab Emirates to "work together against American and British intelligence agencies". The New York Times has not seen or verified this document.

The United Arab Emirates, another close US partner, called the claim "categorically false" .

While Egypt and the U.A.E. work closely with the United States on security and other issues, the two Arab countries maintain friendly relations with Russia and, at least publicly, have avoided choosing sides in Russia's war against Ukraine. Emirati officials portrayed their country as a neutral mediator and facilitated a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia; Egypt, which looks to Russia for tourists and grain imports, insists it is on good terms with all parties.

A spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. But state-owned flagship Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Tuesday afternoon that an "official Egyptian source" denied producing rockets for shipment to Russia.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed the report on Egypt, saying it "appears to be the last duck", according to Russia's official Tass news agency. government officials warned that some of the leaked documents had been doctored or fabricated, possibly as part of a disinformation campaign. And it's still unclear how much of the information in the documents is authentic and how much isn't.

The A.P. reported that, according to information obtained through intercepted US telecommunications, officials from Russia's main spy agency claimed in mid-January that the Emirati and Russian governments had agreed to collaborate.

"We refute any allegations regarding a cooperation agreement between the UAE and the security services of other countries against another country," the statement from the Emirati government said, noting that the country had " deep and distinguished relations with all countries”. the spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.