President Donald Trump says he is ready to restart U.S. mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to address the long-running Nile water sharing dispute tied to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Trump shared a letter he sent to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and also posted comments on Truth Social arguing that no single country should control the Nile’s resources in a way that harms its neighbors.
Trump said the United States wants an approach that protects downstream water needs while also recognizing Ethiopia’s plans to generate electricity. He described a framework that would aim for predictable water releases during droughts and prolonged dry years for Egypt and Sudan, while allowing Ethiopia to produce power, including electricity that could be given to or sold to Egypt and Sudan.
Letter to Egypt highlights urgency
In the letter posted online, Trump wrote that he was ready to restart U.S. mediation “to responsibly resolve the question of ‘The Nile Water Sharing’ once and for all.” He also wrote that his team understands the Nile River’s importance to Egypt and its people. In a separate statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said the United States believes “no state in this region should unilaterally control the precious resources of the Nile, and disadvantage its neighbors in the process.”
Dam at center of dispute
The dispute centers on Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, known as GERD, which sits on the Blue Nile near Ethiopia’s border with Sudan. The dam is described as Africa’s largest and is meant to produce more than 5,000 megawatts, a level that would double Ethiopia’s electricity generation capacity. Ethiopia views the project as an economic boost, while Egypt has opposed it, arguing the dam could reduce Egypt’s share of Nile waters.
Egypt relies heavily on Nile River water for agriculture and to support a population of more than 100 million people, according to the report. Xinhua also described the broader dispute as a clash between Ethiopia’s push for economic development and power generation and Egypt’s fear of water scarcity, calling the Blue Nile vital to Egypt’s survival.
Egypt warns against unilateral actions
Ahead of the dam’s inauguration, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Tamim Khallaf said Ethiopia built the dam “unilaterally without any prior notification, proper consultations, or consensus with downstream countries,” and called it a serious violation of international law and an existential threat. Separately, Xinhua reported that Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Water Minister Hani Sewilam rejected “unilateral actions on the Nile,” a reference to GERD. The same joint statement warned that Cairo would not accept new dams on the Nile without a prior legal agreement.
Mediation history and stalled talks
Washington-led mediation efforts began during Trump’s first term but collapsed in 2020 when Ethiopia withdrew, according to both Xinhua and the U.S. outlet report. The U.S. outlet report added that some discussions later continued under the African Union. Xinhua said years of trilateral talks have failed to produce a binding agreement on the dam’s filling and operation.
Downstream countries have repeatedly raised concerns about their water shares since Ethiopia began building GERD in 2011, Xinhua reported. Xinhua also said Ethiopia began the dam’s official inauguration in September 2025, while the U.S. outlet report described the formal inauguration as happening “last fall.”
Trump cites past conflict claims
The U.S. outlet report noted that Trump frequently boasts about ending eight wars worldwide, but said that claim is exaggerated. It also reported that Trump has included Egypt and Ethiopia on a list of wars he says he resolved, claiming he stopped a conflict that might have involved issues including GERD. The report added that Trump recently told Fox News that renewed fighting between Thailand and Cambodia should count more than once, quoting him as saying: “I did put out eight wars, eight and a quarter, because, you know, Thailand and Cambodia started going at it again.”
