Washington awoke to renewed diplomacy on Wednesday as President Donald Trump voiced optimism about easing tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over a towering dam.
He described the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as a “very dangerous issue,” warning it disrupts the ancient Nile’s flow and unsettles millions downstream.
Speaking beside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Trump said he would try to pull stalled negotiations back onto a workable path.
He argued the massive structure blocks waters communities have relied upon for millennia, transforming a shared river into a contested lifeline.
Trump added he believed an agreement was possible, calling the dam a serious problem that still leaves room for a diplomatic breakthrough.
His comments followed a recent offer to mediate between Cairo and Addis Ababa, an outreach welcomed by the Egyptian leader.
The Nile, stretching 6,650 kilometres across northeastern Africa, threads through 11 nations before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
Ethiopia inaugurated the long-delayed dam on the Blue Nile in September 2025, after 14 years of construction and mounting regional anxiety.
Egypt and Sudan continue pressing for a legally binding deal governing the dam’s filling and operation, seeking safeguards for their fragile water security.