During bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed expanding their nuclear energy partnership and bolstering regional security coordination.
Al-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to the timeline and financial obligations for the ongoing $30bn El Dabaa NPP project. Construction is progressing on schedule – the reactor pressure vessel for unit 2 was installed in July.
Al-Sisi also signalled strong interest in adding more commercial power reactors at El Dabaa after 2030. In addition, Egypt is in talks with Rosatom, regarding the deployment and local manufacturing of small modular reactors (SMRs) and floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs). These could provide electricity and large-scale seawater desalination to Egypt’s Mediterranean and Red Sea coastlines.
The discussions further covered collaborative efforts to upgrade the ETRR-2 research reactor managed by Egypt’s Atomic Energy Authority, alongside joint ventures in uranium and rare-earth mineral extraction, 3D printing and specialised industries.
Bilateral trade between Egypt and Russia exceeded a record $10bn in 2025. This economic momentum has extended into 2026, with trade metrics climbing another 14% over the first eight months of the year. Egypt currently accounts for about one-third of Russia’s overall trade turnover with the African continent.
Al-Sisi said Egypt was prepared to offer incentives and support to the Russian company managing the planned Russian Industrial Zone within the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
