Zelensky in Serbia: What Ukraine Wants, and What Belgrade Gains
Serbia seeks deeper economic and security ties with Kyiv while keeping sanctions on Russia off the table, analysts said.
- On Saturday, August 8, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Belgrade to meet President Aleksandar Vucic, marking the first Ukrainian presidential visit since 2018. The leaders reaffirmed their mutual respect for territorial integrity.
- While Serbia formally supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, Vucic refuses to impose sanctions on Russia, maintaining what analysts describe as a strategy of conducting one policy at home and another in the West.
- During the visit, Vucic announced a joint venture with Israeli defense group Elbit Systems to open a drone factory in September. Elbit will hold a 51% stake, with Serbia's Yugoimport SDPR holding the remaining 49%.
- Political scientist Aleksandar Djokic said the visit signals Vucic's alignment with European policy to secure progress in stalled EU accession talks. Opening Cluster 3 negotiations could blunt opposition criticism.
- Despite these diplomatic overtures, Serbia remains heavily dependent on Russian natural gas, which supplies about 80% of its total imports. This energy reliance constrains potential policy shifts toward Moscow.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The weekend trip of Volodimir Zelenski to Serbia had echoes in the Balkans long after the Ukrainian President returned by plane to Kiev. On Saturday, the Ukrainian leader visited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the first time — who refused to join the EU sanctions regime against Russia and maintained a close relationship with the Kremlin. Later, he got involved in the toughest regional dispute, saying that Ukraine will continue not to rec…
Zelensky in Serbia: What Ukraine wants, and what Belgrade gains
President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Serbia, the first by a Ukrainian head of state since 2018, could mark a new chapter in relations between the two countries. It also raised questions about what each side hopes to gain. What is Kyiv trying to achieve by deepening ties with Serbia, one of the few countries in Europe, alongside Turkey and Russian ally Belarus, that has not imposed sanctions on Russia? And what does Belgrade, still heavily dep…
Zelensky’s Belgrade Visit Tests Serbia’s EU-Russia Balancing Act
The Ukrainian president’s first official visit to Serbia sends a political signal to Moscow and Brussels. But there is little evidence that Belgrade is preparing to abandon its long-running balancing act or impose sanctions on Russia.
The first visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Belgrade was not just an ordinary bilateral visit by a statesman. It was a visit from which both Zelenski and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić can derive certain benefits.
Behind the official visit lie ammunition deliveries, Serbia's European ambitions, and the increasingly visible loss of Russian influence in the region.
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