Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (R) meets with Vladimir Putin on February 13, 2024 near Moscow, Russia. (Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)
Putting pressure on Washington may have been one of the initial objectives of Cairo’s recent diplomatic shift towards Moscow, but following army chief’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s trip to Russia on Thursday, it appears that Egyptian-Russian ties are warming in earnest. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his endorsement of Sisi’s as-of-yet unannounced bid for the Egyptian presidency and expressed his support for Egypt’s new constitution- while thoughtfully neglecting to mention either July’s army-backed coup against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi or the subsequent crackdown on protests by the interim government.
Source: AP
It is no coincidence that Sisi chose Moscow as the destination of his first international trip since his political ascension. The White House’s bewildered response to the coup (oscillating between condemnation and tentative support) and its political aftermath has not gone over well in Cairo, especially in the wake of Washington’s decision to suspend aid. Russia, on the other hand, has made clear its willingness to embrace Egypt’s new government, crackdowns on dissent notwithstanding.
But the symbolic rebuff of Washington offered by Sisi’s Moscow visit is almost trivial compared to the practical benefits of an alliance with a world power that will overlook rights violations while offering a way for Egypt to diversify its sources of foreign aid. The visit’s primary purpose, after all, was to negotiate a $2 billion arms deal that Sisi has referred to as “a new start to the development of military and technological co-operation between Egypt and Russia.” Sisi’s Nasser-style tactic of reaching out to the Russians could also serve the purpose of furnishing his new regime with crucial non-Arab international legitimacy.
While it may be ironic that the bestower of legitimacy in this case is the Putin government, it helps that it reinforces the power player image the Kremlin has been attempting to cultivate on the international stage. Which is to say nothing of the considerable geopolitical benefits of an alliance with Egypt, which would allow for the expansion of Russian influence in the Middle East beyond Syria. It should also be noted that with Saudi Arabia set to pick up the tab on this arms deal, the crucial Gulf state (which has its own set of issues with Washington at the moment) is indirectly supporting Russia’s push into the region.
Though it’s unclear how much Sisi will personally appreciate the frank acknowledgement of his presidential ambitions given his public coyness on the subject, the stamp of approval from the prominent world leader — along with the prospect of no-questions-asked foreign military aid — is still a major prize for the army chief. And a major loss for Washington, whose Middle East strategy somehow manages to look worse with each passing day.
