Zelenskyy makes first official visit to Serbia, with talks on trade, EU accession and security
The Facts
- Zelenskyy arrived in Belgrade on Friday for his first official visit to Serbia, confirming the arrival on his official Telegram channel.
- Zelenskyy said the talks would cover expanding economic ties between the two countries, relations with the European Union, and security issues.
- The program included meetings with President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Djuro Macut over two days.
- Zelenskyy was received at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport by Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedović Handanović.
- Vučić said ahead of the visit that the leaders would also discuss energy cooperation and both countries' bids for European Union membership.
- Serbia has refused to join international sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine and is the only EU candidate country not to have adopted them; Vučić said he does not intend to change that policy.
- Serbia's EU accession process has stalled in part because of Belgrade's policies toward Moscow, while Serbia has provided aid to Ukraine and increased contacts with Kyiv.
- Vučić hosted a dinner for Zelenskyy on his arrival and said he expected the visit to contribute to further development of relations between Serbia and Ukraine.
- The visit drew public criticism inside Serbia: the opposition movement 'We Are the People's Power' said it would harm Serbia's relations with Russia and questioned Zelenskyy's mandate, and former deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vulin said the trip resulted from EU pressure and that Serbia would not join an anti-Russian coalition.
- An official welcome ceremony and bilateral talks between Zelenskyy and Vučić took place in Belgrade on Saturday, August 8.
Context
Why is a Ukrainian presidential visit to Serbia notable?
Serbia is among the few European countries that have maintained friendly relations with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, and it is the only EU candidate country that has not adopted sanctions against Moscow, citing historic ties between the two Slavic nations infobae,NY Post,India Today. Reuters noted Russia is Serbia's long-time ally and main natural gas supplier, and reported the visit is likely to strain that relationship Reuters. Zelenskyy and Vučić had met before at multilateral events, but never in a bilateral visit to Belgrade Yahoo!.
What was on the agenda?
Zelenskyy said the talks would focus on expanding economic ties, relations with the European Union and security issues, and that Ukraine was prepared to work 'constructively, mutually beneficially and on the basis of mutual respect' Українська …,РБК-Украина. Vučić said the day before that the two would also discuss energy cooperation and the EU accession paths of both countries, saying they face similar obstacles on the European road infobae,infobae.
What has been the reaction inside Serbia?
The Serbian opposition movement 'We Are the People's Power' said the visit would only damage Belgrade's relations with Moscow and pointed to Serbia's dependence on Russian gas Lenta.ru,РИА Новости. Former deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vulin, quoted by Russian state agency RIA Novosti, said the visit reflected EU pressure and that Serbia would not impose sanctions on Russia or supply ammunition to Ukraine Life.ru,РИА Новости,Lenta.ru. A group called 'Serbian-Russian Brotherhood' publicly disputed Zelenskyy's legitimacy as president РИА Новости.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Serbia is engaging Kyiv on aid, energy and trade while refusing sanctions on Moscow, and both framings treat that refusal as a deliberate choice with a real price on accession.
- Where Left and Right split
- The shared costs a country accepts when it seeks EU membership, or a state keeping foreign policy it alone has to live with.
How left and right read it
Serbia remains the only EU candidate country that has not adopted sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, and Vučić says that will not change. Membership is not a menu. Accession has stalled in part over exactly those policies toward Moscow, even as Belgrade sends aid to Kyiv and talks energy cooperation with Zelenskyy. If shared costs can be opted out of, what is the accession commitment actually worth?
Zelenskyy landed in Belgrade on Friday, met at the airport by Serbia's mining and energy minister and hosted at dinner by Vučić, with energy cooperation and EU membership bids on the agenda. Serbia has sent aid to Ukraine while declining to adopt sanctions, and Vučić says that will not change. Engagement without conformity. A country's foreign policy belongs to the country that has to live with it.
“Although Belgrade has refused to sanction Russia, it has provided aid to Ukraine and Vučić has recently stepped up contacts with Kyiv, in an apparent bid to boost his image in the West.” — New York Post
The receipts — 100 sources
Wire services (4)
Independent coverage (96)
The news, read by both sides.
The day’s biggest stories in one short brief, built to show both sides and the competing values behind the headlines. Free in your inbox.