AFP: Zelenskyy to visit Serbia for first time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Serbia on August 8 for the first time since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to AFP, the trip is of great political importance, given the strengthening of relations between Ukraine and Serbia and Belgrade's close ties with Moscow.
AFP: Zelensky to visit Serbia for first time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will pay an official visit to Serbia on August 8. This will be his first trip to Belgrade since he took office in 2019 and since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that one of the main goals of the visit is to strengthen ties with Serbia. The source said that Kiev is trying to distance Belgrade from Moscow's influence.
Serbia is one of the most friendly countries in Europe towards Russia. The country has not imposed sanctions on Moscow since the war in Ukraine began and has maintained close cooperation with Russia in the energy sector.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has met Russian President Vladimir Putin at least twice since 2022. In particular, he attended the Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025.
Meanwhile, Zelensky and Vučić have spoken in person three times since the war began. They met in 2023 in Chisinau and Athens, and in 2025 in Odessa on the sidelines of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit.
Although Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, Brussels has repeatedly criticized Belgrade's close ties with Russia. The country remains dependent on Russia for energy and has also become a major migration route for tens of thousands of Russians since the war began.