Zelenskyy paid his first visit to Serbia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited Serbia for the first time since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Belgrade, he held an informal meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The parties are scheduled to hold formal talks on August 8 to discuss economic cooperation, security and relations with the European Union.
Zelensky visits Serbia for the first time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at a dinner in Belgrade on the evening of August 7. This is the first visit of the Ukrainian leader to Serbia since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022.
After the meeting, Zelensky left a brief comment on social media, writing that "we have started a bilateral dialogue in Serbia." No further information was provided about the content of the meeting or the results achieved.
Aleksandar Vučić, in turn, noted that the visit will serve to further develop relations between the two countries and strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. According to him, the talks will discuss issues of expanding economic ties, energy cooperation, security and relations with the European Union.
According to the press service of the President of Serbia, official talks between the heads of state will be held on August 8 at the Presidential Palace in Belgrade. The two presidents are scheduled to hold a joint press conference for the media at the end of the meeting. Zelensky will also meet with Serbian Prime Minister Džuro Matšu during the visit.
Serbia is one of the European countries that maintains the closest relations with Russia. Belgrade has not imposed sanctions against Moscow since the outbreak of the war in 2022 and continues to cooperate with Russia in the energy sector. Therefore, the European Union has repeatedly stressed that Serbia's close ties with Russia are negatively affecting the country's EU accession process.
President Aleksandar Vučić has met personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin at least twice since 2022. In particular, he attended the Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025.
Zelensky and Vučić have met in person three times since February 24, 2022. They held talks in Chisinau and Athens in 2023, and in Odessa in 2025, on the sidelines of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit.
According to a senior Ukrainian source, Zelensky's visit to Belgrade is being seen as an important political signal for Russia, according to AFP.