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Egypt Prepares for New Step Towards Completing Construction of Dabba Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
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Egypt Prepares for New Step Towards Completing Construction of Dabba Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)

Egypt is moving towards a new executive step in inaugurating its first nuclear plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast.

Egypt is preparing to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit had significant implications, including an "end to Moscow's isolation" and "pushing towards a greater role for Moscow in the region."

Putin will visit Egypt to participate in laying the foundation for the fourth reactor, confirmed Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"Yes, preparations are already underway, and this event is very important," Peskov told reporters on Friday.

According to the Russia’s RT Arabic, Peskov said Russia's cooperation with Egypt continues in various fields. Cairo "is a very important partner, including in the field of this advanced technology, which is crucial for further development in Egypt."

Moreover, Peskov stressed that Russia is an unparalleled leader in the global nuclear industry.

"We provide better, cheaper, and higher quality services, making it extremely challenging for other participants in this market to compete with us," he stated.

4 Generation III Reactors

In 2015, Egypt contracted with the Russian state company Rosatom to establish a nuclear station in Dabaa.

The plant will include four "Three +" generation reactors operating with pressurized water, with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, 1,200 megawatts each, with the first reactor scheduled to be launched in 2028 at a cost of up to $30 billion.

Egypt's former Ambassador to Moscow and Director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs Ezzat Saad told Asharq Al-Awsat that Putin's visit underlines the importance of bilateral relations and cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Saad added that the visit is evidence of significant and sustainable strategic cooperation between Cairo and Moscow.

Rosatom

Russia's Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation recently announced it was opening a representative office in Egypt.

Director of Rosatom's country office in Egypt Murad Aslanov said Rosatom has launched an industry-wide initiative to consolidate its foreign presence's office infrastructure.

The Dabaa station is the company's most significant project in Africa. Located in the Matrouh Governorate, it is Egypt’s first nuclear facility.

Under the agreement, the Russian company will deliver nuclear fuel, train personnel, and provide support in the operation and servicing for the first ten years of the operation of each unit.

Political science professor at Cairo University Nourhan al-Sheikh echoed the ambassador's statement, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that Putin's visit reflects the strength of the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Russia that has been ongoing for the past two years.

Sheikh confirmed that Russia can no longer be isolated, especially after Putin visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE last year.

Putin is acting according to agendas and agreements with friendly countries, and sanctions or the International Criminal Court's (ICC) ruling have no impact, said the professor.

Putin's isolation

Since the Russian war on Ukraine in February 2022, the US and Europe have sought to isolate Putin, who broke the seclusion with his state visits to Saudi Arabia and the UAE last December.

Putin's visit to Cairo confirms Moscow's interest in the Middle East region, said Sheikh, noting that Russia is boosting its role in the Middle East and Africa. The Gaza war is one of the important issues that will be discussed by President Abdulfattah al-Sisi and Putin.

Sheikh added that Moscow is interested in the Red Sea and is aware that the military actions of the US and UK forces in the waterway not only target the Houthi militias in Yemen, but Russia and China as well.

Russian president's visit

The former diplomat stressed that many regional issues will be discussed during Sisi and Putin’s meeting.

The US must review its Middle East policy, he stressed, explaining that Washington's insistence on siding with Israel and its inability to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza have harmed its credibility.

Saad elaborated that Russian positions on regional crises may lead to rapprochement between nations, but within limited capabilities given Moscow's preoccupation with its war on Ukraine and its domestic economic concerns.

Sheikh said Russia is concerned with the stability of the Middle East and sees this as achieving its interests, in contrast to the United States, which prefers instability.

The Russian policy towards regional issues has gained traction compared to the decline in public acceptance of Washington, she noted.

Recent years have witnessed intense competition between the US and Europe, on the one hand, and Russia and China, on the other, for influence in Africa. Moscow has boosted its commercial presence in Africa and in the Middle East.

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Features

Khartoum Markets Back to Life but 'Nothing Like Before'

Men walk along a street past destroyed high-rise building, as efforts to restore the city's infrastructure resumes after nearly three years of devastation caused by war, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
Men walk along a street past destroyed high-rise building, as efforts to restore the city's infrastructure resumes after nearly three years of devastation caused by war, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Khartoum Markets Back to Life but 'Nothing Like Before'

Men walk along a street past destroyed high-rise building, as efforts to restore the city's infrastructure resumes after nearly three years of devastation caused by war, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
Men walk along a street past destroyed high-rise building, as efforts to restore the city's infrastructure resumes after nearly three years of devastation caused by war, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on January 17, 2025. (AFP)

The hustle and bustle of buyers and sellers has returned to Khartoum's central market, but "it's nothing like before," fruit vendor Hashim Mohamed told AFP, streets away from where war first broke out nearly three years ago.

On April 15, 2023, central Khartoum awoke to battles between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who had been allies since 2021, when they ousted civilians from a short-lived transitional government.

Their war has since killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. In greater Khartoum alone, nearly 4 million people -- around half the population -- fled the city when the RSF took over.

Hashim Mohamed did not.

"I had to work discreetly, because there were regular attacks" on businesses, said the fruit seller, who has worked in the sprawling market for 50 years.

Like him, those who stayed in the city report living in constant fear of assaults and robberies from fighters roaming the streets.

Last March, army forces led an offensive through the capital, pushing paramilitary fighters out and revealing the vast looting and destruction left behind.

"The market's not what it used to be, but it's much better than when the RSF was here," said market vendor Adam Haddad, resting in the shade of an awning.

In the market's narrow, dusty alleyways, fruits and vegetables are piled high, on makeshift stalls or tarps spread on the ground.

- Two jobs to survive -

Khartoum, where entire neighborhoods were once under siege, is no longer threatened by the mass starvation that stalks battlefield cities and displacement camps elsewhere in Sudan.

But with the economy a shambles, a good living is still hard to provide.

"People complain about prices, they say it's too expensive. You can find everything, but the costs keep going up: supplies, labor, transportation," said Mohamed.

Sudan has known only triple-digit annual inflation for years. Figures for 2024 stood at 151 percent -- down from a 2021 peak of 358.

The currency has also collapsed, going from trading at 570 Sudanese pounds to the US dollar before the war to 3,500 in 2026, according to the black market rate.

One Sudanese teacher, who only a few years ago could provide comfortably for his two children, told AFP he could no longer pay his rent with a monthly salary of 250,000 Sudanese pounds ($71).

To feed his family, pay for school, and cover healthcare, he "works in the market or anywhere" on his days off.

"You have to have another job to pay for the bare minimum of basic needs," he said, asking for anonymity to protect his privacy.

For Adam Haddad, the road to recovery will be a long one.

"We don't have enough resources or workers or liquidity going through the market," he said, adding that reliable electricity was still a problem.

"The government is striving to restore everything, and God willing, in the near future, the power will return and Khartoum will become what it once was."

Features

Trump Heads into Davos Storm, with an Eye on Home

FILE - President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he gestures while walking across the South Lawn of the White House, Nov. 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he gestures while walking across the South Lawn of the White House, Nov. 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
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Trump Heads into Davos Storm, with an Eye on Home

FILE - President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he gestures while walking across the South Lawn of the White House, Nov. 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he gestures while walking across the South Lawn of the White House, Nov. 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Donald Trump returns to the Davos ski resort next week after unleashing yet another avalanche on the global order. But for the US president, his main audience is back home.

Trump's first appearance in six years at the gathering of the world's political and global elite comes amid a spiraling crisis over his quest to acquire Greenland.

Fellow leaders at the mountain retreat will also be eager to talk about other shocks from his first year back in power, from tariffs to Venezuela, Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.

Yet for the Republican president, his keynote speech among the Swiss peaks will largely be aimed at the United States.

US voters are angered by the cost of living despite Trump's promises of a "golden age," and his party could be facing a kicking in crucial midterm elections in November.

That means Trump will spend at least part of his time in luxurious Davos talking about US housing.

A White House official told AFP that Trump would "unveil initiatives to drive down housing costs" and "tout his economic agenda that has propelled the United States to lead the world in economic growth."

The 79-year-old is expected to announce plans allowing prospective homebuyers to dip into their retirement accounts for down payments.

Billionaire Trump is keenly aware that affordability has become his Achilles' heel in his second term. A CNN poll last week found that 58 percent of Americans believe his first year back in the White House has been a failure, particularly on the economy.

Trump's supporters are also increasingly uneasy about the "America First" president's seemingly relentless focus on foreign policy since his return to the Oval Office.

But as he flies into the snowy retreat, Trump will find it impossible to avoid the global storm of events that he has stirred since January 20, 2025.

Trump will be alongside many of the leaders of the same European NATO allies that he has just threatened with tariffs if they don't back his extraordinary quest to take control of Greenland from Denmark.

Those threats have once again called into question the transatlantic alliance that has in many ways underpinned the western economic order celebrated at Davos.

- 'Economic stagnation' -

So have the broader tariffs Trump announced early in his second term, and he is set to add to the pressure on Europe in his speech.

Trump will "emphasize that the United States and Europe must leave behind economic stagnation and the policies that caused it," the White House official said.

The Ukraine war will also be on the cards.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping for a meeting with Trump to sign new security guarantees for a hoped-for ceasefire deal with Russia, as are G7 leaders.

But while the largest-ever US Davos delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have all played key roles on Ukraine, no meeting is assured.

"No bilateral meetings have been scheduled for Davos at this time," the White House told AFP.

Trump is meanwhile reportedly considering a first meeting of the so-called "Board of Peace" for war-torn Gaza at Davos, after announcing its first members in recent days.

Questions are also swirling about the future of oil-rich Venezuela following the US military operation to topple its leader Nicolas Maduro, part of Trump's assertive new approach to his country's "backyard."

But Trump may also pause to enjoy his time in the scenic spot he called "beautiful Davos" in his video speech to the meeting a year ago.

The forum has always been an odd fit for the former New York property tycoon and reality TV star, whose brand of populism has long scorned globalist elites.

But at the same time, Trump relishes the company of the rich and successful.

His first Davos appearance in 2018 met occasional boos but he made a forceful return in 2020 when he dismissed the "prophets of doom" on climate and the economy.

A year later he was out of power. Now, Trump returns as a more powerful president than ever, at home and abroad.

Features

Russia, China Unlikely to Back Iran Against US Military Threats

A man stands by the wreckage of a burnt bus bearing a banner (unseen) that reads "This was one of Tehran’s new buses that was paid for with the money of the people’s taxes,” in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
A man stands by the wreckage of a burnt bus bearing a banner (unseen) that reads "This was one of Tehran’s new buses that was paid for with the money of the people’s taxes,” in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Russia, China Unlikely to Back Iran Against US Military Threats

A man stands by the wreckage of a burnt bus bearing a banner (unseen) that reads "This was one of Tehran’s new buses that was paid for with the money of the people’s taxes,” in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
A man stands by the wreckage of a burnt bus bearing a banner (unseen) that reads "This was one of Tehran’s new buses that was paid for with the money of the people’s taxes,” in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on January 15, 2026. (AFP)

While Russia and China are ready to back protest-rocked Iran under threat by US President Donald Trump, that support would diminish in the face of US military action, experts told AFP.

Iran is a significant ally to the two nuclear powers, providing drones to Russia and oil to China. But analysts told AFP the two superpowers would only offer diplomatic and economic aid to Tehran, to avoid a showdown with Washington.

"China and Russia don't want to go head-to-head with the US over Iran," said Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy expert for the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank.

Tehran, despite its best efforts over decades, has failed to establish a formal alliance with Moscow and Beijing, she noted.

If the United States carried out strikes on Iran, "both the Chinese and the Russians will prioritize their bilateral relationship with Washington", Geranmayeh said.

China has to maintain a "delicate" rapprochement with the Trump administration, she argued, while Russia wants to keep the United States involved in talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

"They both have much higher priorities than Iran."

- Ukraine before Iran -

Despite their close ties, "Russia-Iranian treaties don't include military support" -- only political, diplomatic and economic aid, Russian analyst Sergei Markov told AFP.

Alexander Gabuev, director of Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Moscow would do whatever it could "to keep the regime afloat".

But "Russia's options are very limited," he added.

Faced with its own economic crisis, "Russia cannot become a giant market for Iranian products" nor can it provide "a lavish loan", Gabuev said.

Nikita Smagin, a specialist in Russia-Iran relations, said that in the event of US strikes, Russia could do "almost nothing".

"They don't want to risk military confrontation with other great powers like the US -- but at the same time, they're ready to send weaponry to Iran," he said.

"Using Iran as a bargaining asset is a normal thing for Russia," Smagin said of the longer-term strategy, at a time when Moscow is also negotiating with Washington on Ukraine.

Markov agreed. "The Ukrainian crisis is much more important for Russia than the Iranian crisis," he argued.

- Chinese restraint -

China is also ready to help Tehran "economically, technologically, militarily and politically" as it confronts non-military US actions such as trade pressure and cyberattacks, Hua Po, a Beijing-based independent political observer, told AFP.

If the United States launched strikes, China "would strengthen its economic ties with Iran and help it militarize in order to contribute to bogging the United States down in a war in the Middle East," he added.

Until now, China has been cautious and expressed itself "with restraint", weighing the stakes of oil and regional stability, said Iran-China relations researcher Theo Nencini of Sciences Po Grenoble.

"China is benefiting from a weakened Iran, which allows it to secure low-cost oil... and to acquire a sizeable geopolitical partner," he said.

However, he added: "I find it hard to see them engaging in a showdown with the Americans over Iran."

Beijing would likely issue condemnations, but not retaliate, he said.

Hua said the Iran crisis was unlikely to have an impact on China-US relations overall.

"The Iranian question isn't at the heart of relations between the two countries," he argued.

"Neither will sever ties with the other over Iran."