This is my first visit. Zelenskiy Serbia since taking office in 2019 and since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As N1 wrote in May, when a Ukrainian delegation was expected to visit Serbia, diplomatic sources in Belgrade expected that a joint memorandum of understanding on trade cooperation between the two countries could be signed.
Both Serbia and Ukraine share aspirations towards membership in The European Union, whereby mutual support for each other's European path is one of the key pillars of bilateral relations. Another important point in relations is the mutual support of Serbia and Ukraine for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of those countries.
Second attempt
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung journalist Michael Martens announced on the X platform that, according to his "verified sources", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was supposed to visit Belgrade on Thursday, May 21, but that visit was postponed.
Martens announced that on May 13 he received information from, as he says, a "very reliable source" that Zelenski would come to Serbia, which is why he himself traveled to Belgrade for preparations. However, later, as he claims, he found out from another source that the visit will not take place on the planned date "for specific reasons", noting that it could happen soon, but that the date will probably be known only at the last moment.
Ukrainian the president did not visit at that time, but instead the delegation from Kiev was led by the deputy prime minister in charge of European and Euro-Atlantic integration Taras Kačka, Ukrainian Justice announced at the time.
Massive Russian air attack on Kiev: At least 17 dead and 44 injured
Complicated relationships
Relations between the two countries are quite complicated. On the one hand, Serbia officially supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, while Kiev does not recognize the independence of Kosovo and reciprocates its support for Serbian sovereignty.
Nevertheless, Serbia, along with Belarus, is the only European country that has not imposed sanctions on Russia, which causes pressure and criticism from the European Union and Western partners, but a problem in political relations with Ukraine.
Cooperation on the field is clearly better. Independent reports point to a significant export of Serbian weapons and ammunition that finds its way to the Ukrainian battlefield, which is often met with displeasure by Moscow.
In mid-July 2026, Aleksandar Vučić was in Kyiv at the "Southeastern Europe - Ukraine" summit, but then he did not sign a joint declaration calling for increased pressure on Russia. Both countries aspire to membership in the European Union, with occasional diplomatic arguments over whether one side's reform stalls could affect the other's path.
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