The Secretary of State and the US Defense Secretary wrote in a letter urging Egypt to cancel the contract to buy Su-35S Russian fighters if they do not want to be punished.

The warning was included in a letter issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper to Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Ahmed Zaki on November 13, according to the US Wall Street Journal.

"Egypt is at risk of being punished under the US Anti-Rival Act Through Embargo (CAATSA) if it receives modern weapons from Russia. That will at least make it difficult for military transactions and US security support with Egypt, "the letter reads.

The Pentagon also warned the Egyptian air commander of the potential consequences if it pursued a contract to buy Russian fighters.

The news comes as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is visiting Egypt to discuss military cooperation. Cairo wants to strengthen defense ties with Moscow and signed a $ 2 billion deal to order 20 Su-35S multirole fighters earlier this year.

The Pentagon, the US National Security Council and the Egyptian government declined to comment on the information. State Department officials said the agency did not comment on "suspected documents", but insisted Washington urged allies and partners to give up dealing with Russian defense and intelligence industries to avoid punished.

The United States has provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid to Egypt for decades, as well as selling a range of F-16 fighters, armed helicopters and various modern equipment to the North African nation. this.

Russia is strengthening its influence in the Middle East in recent years by providing military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and selling S-400 long-range air defense missiles to Turkey, a key member. of NATO.