Trump thanks Sisi for Gaza truce role, offers to mediate Nile water talks

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a message of thanks to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, praising his successful leadership in mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and underscoring the importance of Egypt’s role and the strong ties between the two countries.

In the message, Trump said he appreciated Sisi’s “leadership in successfully brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas,” and acknowledged Egypt’s steady role in managing the security and humanitarian challenges facing the region since Oct. 7, 2023.

“This war has placed a heavy burden on the Egyptian people, not only on your neighbours in Israel and Gaza,” Trump said.

Referring to what he described as a personal friendship and the United States’ commitment to peace and the well-being of the Egyptian people, Trump said he was ready to relaunch U.S. mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to reach a responsible and lasting solution to the dispute over the sharing of Nile waters.

Trump said he and his team understood the Nile’s “profound importance” to Egypt and its people, and expressed his desire to help achieve an outcome that would secure the long-term water needs of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

“The United States affirms that no country in this region should unilaterally control the precious resources of the Nile River and harm its neighbours in the process,” he said.

Trump added that with appropriate technical expertise, fair and transparent negotiations, and a strong U.S. role in monitoring and coordination, a durable agreement serving all Nile Basin countries could be reached.

Such an approach, he said, would ensure predictable water releases during droughts and prolonged dry years for Egypt and Sudan, while allowing Ethiopia to generate “very large amounts of electricity,” some of which could be granted or sold to Egypt and/or Sudan.

Trump thanked Sisi again for what he described as friendship and partnership with him and the American people, saying that resolving tensions surrounding Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) was among his top priorities as he worked toward lasting peace in the Middle East and Africa.

“I sincerely hope that this fully understandable dispute over the Renaissance Dam does not lead to a major military conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia,” Trump said.