El-Sisi attends Putin’s Victory Day

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Moscow on Thursday to attend Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, marking 80 years since the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany. 

The visit, made at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reflects Egypt’s historical ties to Moscow—ties that once defined its foreign policy before a strategic pivot toward Washington.

Victory Day, a cornerstone of Russian national identity, features a grand military parade in Red Square and brings together a host of world leaders. 

This year’s guest list includes 29 heads of state, among them Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. From Europe, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are expected. 

Several African and Arab leaders are also in attendance, highlighting Russia's growing diplomatic footprint in the Global South.

For Egypt, the visit is symbolically rich. During the Cold War, Cairo was a close ally of the Soviet Union, receiving military and economic support that shaped its development under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. 

That alliance cooled in the 1970s when Egypt shifted toward the United States under Anwar Sadat, a realignment that continues to define Egyptian-American relations today.

El-Sisi’s presence in Moscow signals not only historical continuity but also the pragmatic diplomacy of a multipolar world. As global tensions rise and alliances shift, Egypt appears intent on maintaining balanced relations with major powers.

Moscow, for its part, is using the occasion to showcase enduring global ties amid isolation from much of the West, and El-Sisi’s attendance provides a notable endorsement from one of the Middle East’s most influential leaders.