Russian leader bolsters ties, trade on Cairo trip

CAIRO — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Egypt on Monday, where he signed a deal to advance plans for a nuclear reactor but disappointed his hosts by delaying the resumption of direct flights that were suspended after the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger plane.

During Putin’s second visit to Egypt in as many years, he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi appeared keen to cement their countries’ ties, which have deepened in recent years as Moscow has expanded its reach across the region.

El-Sissi, who has visited Russia twice since taking office in 2014, has signed deals to buy billions of dollars’ worth of Russian weapons, including fighter jets and assault helicopters. Last month, Russia approved a draft agreement with Egypt to allow Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases.

The United States remains Egypt’s main international backer, providing an estimated $1.3 billion in military and economic aid each year. But ties suffered a blow in 2013, when the Obama administration criticized the military overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected leader amid mass protests against his rule. Relations have improved under President Trump, who has also sought better relations with Moscow.

Officials from both countries signed the deal on the reactor. Egypt has reached an agreement in principle to borrow $25 billion, or roughly 80 percent of the reactor’s cost, from Russia.

Putin flew to Cairo after a brief visit to a Russian military air base in Syria, the main foothold for the air campaign Russia has waged in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Egypt’s increasingly close ties with Russia hark back to the 1950s and 1960s, when Cairo became a close Russian ally at the height of the Cold War. Egypt changed sides in the 1970s under the late President Anwar Sadat, who replaced Moscow with Washington as his country’s chief backer following the signing of a U.S.sponsored peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Egypt has since become a major recipient of U.S. aid.

Under el-Sissi, Egypt has been able to maintain close ties with both Russia and the United States.

But the question of resuming flights between Egypt and Russia remains unsolved after Putin’s visit, a significant setback for Egypt. The flights were suspended when the Islamic State group downed a Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula two years ago, killing all 224 people aboard.