Washington. February 23. INTERFAX-US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday that Washington is concerned about the possibility of Cairo acquiring Russian Su-35 fighter jets.
"The Secretary of state Antony Blinken discussed today with the Minister of foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh shoukry. The Secretary of State expressed concern about this... with the possible acquisition of Su-35 fighter jets by Egypt from Russia, " US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
In addition, the colleagues "exchanged views on regional issues", and also discussed "support for the UN-mediated peace talks in Libya, the peace process in the Middle East and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in the Sinai".
In November 2019, the State Department reported that the United States and Egypt discussed the possible consequences of Cairo's purchases of Russian Su-35s and tried to negotiate with Egypt on the refusal to purchase fighter jets.
Prior to this, former Assistant Secretary of State for Military and Political Affairs Clark Cooper said that Egypt in the case of the purchase of Russian Su-35 fighters may face sanctions from the United States, and also jeopardize the possibility of acquiring American military equipment.
Earlier in November of the same year, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that a message was sent to Cairo on behalf of then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Pentagon chief Mark Esper, which said that " major new arms deals with Russia will at least complicate future US defense agreements with Egypt."
