President Sisi: Egypt ready to support political resolution to Russian-Ukranian war

CAIRO – 14 August 2026: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, August 14, 2026, during which they discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, the Russia-Ukraine war, and food security.

Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said the two presidents discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations across various fields, particularly trade and economic cooperation.

The two leaders agreed to work toward increasing trade between Egypt and Ukraine and exploring cooperation opportunities in a number of promising sectors to serve the interests of both countries.

The call also addressed developments in the Middle East. President El-Sisi highlighted Egypt’s ongoing efforts to de-escalate regional tensions and stressed the importance of resolving conflicts through peaceful means to preserve peace and stability in the region.

El-Sisi called for concerted regional and international efforts to halt the current escalation, citing its negative impact on security, stability, and international trade. Zelenskyy, for his part, commended Egypt’s efforts and expressed his agreement with the Egyptian president’s vision on the need to de-escalate the current tensions.

Zelenskyy briefed El-Sisi on the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s commitment to ending the conflict. El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s support for reaching a political settlement to the crisis and expressed Egypt’s readiness to support efforts aimed at achieving a political resolution as soon as possible.

According to the Ukrainian presidency, the two leaders also discussed challenges to food security and the security situation in the Black Sea following the deaths of two Egyptian citizens in separate Russian strikes on cargo vessels in the region.

“Ukraine is one of the largest food suppliers to Egypt and to a significant number of other countries in Africa and the Middle East. These supplies are now under serious threat because of Russia’s war,” Zelenskyy said.

On June 22, 2026, Egyptian civilian chef Hisham Abdel Khalek, 58, was killed in a Russian drone strike targeting the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Victress in the Black Sea.

One month later, Captain El-Sayed El-Shazly El-Naggar, head of the Egyptian Naval Officers Syndicate and chairman of the Egyptian Maritime Authority, announced the deaths of three sailors—one Egyptian and two Syrian—in an attack on the general cargo ship Aida. The vessel was directly hit by a drone strike attributed to Russian forces while docked at the port of Yevpatoriya (Yuzhny) in Ukraine’s Odesa region on the Black Sea.

According to the Ukrainian presidency, Zelenskyy offered his condolences to President El-Sisi and invited him to visit Ukraine.