Zelensky, Vucic seek cooperation despite Belgrade-Moscow ties

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic met in Belgrade to discuss strengthening cooperation between their nations. Despite Serbia's long-standing ties with Moscow, the leaders aimed to bolster their relationship, with Zelensky's first visit to Serbia being a significant milestone in the talks. Vucic emphasized that Serbia's EU membership prospects would also be addressed during the discussions.

The agenda for the meeting included military cooperation between Serbia and Ukraine, though Zucic made it clear that such talks were not on the table during the current visit. He also dismissed rumors of Serbia planning to manufacture drones in collaboration with Ukraine, instead stating that Serbia was set to cooperate with Israel in this area.

Zelensky and Vucic signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture and food safety during the talks. Furthermore, Serbia and Ukraine are expected to finalize a free trade agreement by the end of the year, according to Zelensky. The Ukrainian president expressed gratitude to Serbia for its humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which has been directed towards the nation's medical and energy sectors, which have been targeted by Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Vucic stressed Serbia's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, a sentiment that seemed to reference the situation in Kosovo, a territory claimed by Serbia but now recognized by most EU member states. However, Serbia and Ukraine themselves do not acknowledge Kosovo's secession, which occurred in 2008 following a violent conflict. Both Serbia and Ukraine are wary of setting a precedent that could be exploited to legitimize the secession of the Donbas region and Crimea, both of which are under Russian occupation.