Egypt suspended a plan to secretly supply missiles to Russia after negotiations with high-ranking US officials in March.

The Washington Post writes about this with reference to five documents of American intelligence.

Instead, according to the American media, Egypt decided to produce artillery ammunition for Ukraine.

The documents evidence that Egypt postponed the agreement with Russia and approved the sale of 152 mm and 155 mm shells to the United States for further transfer to Ukraine.

WP notes that it is currently unknown whether these deliveries have already begun. However, the publication calls it a diplomatic victory for the U.S. President’s Administration.

Last week, it was reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, one of the U.S.’s closest allies in the Middle East and the major recipient of U.S. aid, recently ordered up to 40,000 122mm Sakr 45 rockets to be covertly shipped to Russia.

This presumably regards 122-mm missiles for the Grad multiple rocket launcher.

The document highlights that Sisi instructed the officials to keep the production and shipment of the rockets secret “to avoid problems with the West.”

However, new documents obtained by WP journalists from the archive of previously unreported materials show that in early March, Sisi allegedly abandoned plans to supply weapons to Moscow.

Egypt allegedly intended to use its weapons production capabilities for Ukraine as “leverage” to obtain advanced American military products, the document says.

The Washington Post notes that Egypt has a long-standing diplomatic and military relationship with Russia but has been U.S.’s main ally in the Middle East for decades.

The country receives over $1 billion in military aid from the United States every year.